Pawn of Fate
by Rising Dragon
Summary: If strength couldn't lead to victory against the enemy they faced, then what could? Fortitude and prudence were perhaps as good a start as any, but those were rare virtues not usually found in abundance. It was everyone's good fortune, then, that they could also be taught, by fire if necessary. It's just a matter of finding someone who can learn them, and become a hero.
1. Resurgence

**And so begins my first foray into RWBY fanfiction, heaven help me. I do want to note ahead of time that despite the story's title, this does not have any relation to Coeur Al'Aran's _Not This Time, Fate_ , nor does it utilize similar concepts used within that story. The title's use of Fate is purely coincidental.**

* * *

 _Beta: Myareska_

 _"Fuck my life, it's like someone gave a 3 year old pencil crayons and told him he's Picasso."_

* * *

RWBY  
Pawn of Fate

CHAPTER ONE:  
Resurgence

The world burned.

Glowing embers leaped and twirled in a fiery dance, twinkling like stars against the background of choking clouds of smoke and ash, billowing into the skies. The cinders burst up in swarms with each smoldering structure that collapsed from the flames incinerating their supports. Beams were eaten away, crackling and popping within the inferno, mortar weakened and shifted, and the stones came crashing to the ash. Shockwaves from the collapsing walls quickly blasted the surrounding colonnades. He could hear nothing but the blaze as it turned the citadel into nothing more than a charred corpse.

The fires raged, painting what little visible sky that could be seen an angry crimson. Above, the moon hung, a baleful eye glaring down upon him as he struggled to pull himself through the cinders. The fierce, bright light scorched at his eyes, and the overwhelming heat–that oppressive roasting hotness–weighed down on him and every inch of the landscape. He tried to scream, to cry for help. Instead his lungs burned, the fire and the howling wind robbing him of voice and leaving his every breath a burden to take. Sweat poured from his brow, and his muscles screamed with each movement. He knew he had to keep moving. He knew if he stopped, it would spell the end of him. With monumental effort, he forced himself up onto one foot, then the other.

He wasn't alone. Up ahead he could see movement, someone else struggling to survive this hellish courtyard. He focused on that figure, squinting through his tears. It was a man clad in green, his clothes dark with soot. He staggered through the rubble as if wounded, glancing behind him as if he was being chased. The man's foot caught on a broken stone and he tumbled with a pained cry. The weapon he carried in his hand clattered to the ground ahead of him, and he reached out to take it back.

So focused was the man in green on trying to get his weapon, he never saw the _thing_ that approached him from behind. He hesitated to call it a woman. He'd never seen such a woman before—her black dress went untouched by the hungry flames and noxious smoke as she strode through the ruins of a shattered statue. The cinders and ash in the air marred neither her alabaster skin nor her ivory hair, but volcanic cracks split open her cheeks and glowed like the fires that burned all around her. Her crimson eyes zeroed in on the man in green, glaring at him like the bloody moon hanging above them as he struggled.

The _thing_ lifted her pale, cracked arm to her side, and was consumed in stygian flames that billowed out in a line and solidified into a vicious weapon of her own. He tried to scream a warning to the man in green, to tell him to watch out for the monster behind him. Instead heat seared at his throat, leaving him choking for air. He collapsed to his knees once more, and could only stare in growing horror.

The man in green had realized the danger he had been in, snatching up his discarded weapon and twisting about with a slash, only for the monster to bat it aside with the haft of her weapon. She stepped to the side and smashed a slippered foot on his forearm, grinding it against the stones beneath him. The look on the man in green's face was a mixture of shock and fear, met easily by the cruel, victorious smile of his opponent as her weapon came up in her hand.

There was nothing he could do as the weapon speared downwards and through the man in green's chest. A red deeper than the flames splashed across broken rock as its blade tore through his back, biting into the floor.

The man in green opened his mouth—to scream, to curse the monster, to draw a desperate breath—and blood spattered down his chin, even as more blood spread from the wound of his pierced heart.

With a trembling arm extended out to his murderer, he shuddered, and died.

The monster gave the corpse one last look of disdain as she wrenched her weapon free from it. Around them the wind began to howl, whipping the infernal flames into a frenzy. Above them, the moon reached its zenith, hanging above the tower as it burned and collapsed. The wind reached a crescendo, scattering ash and cinder about into a hellish storm. Terror rose within him as slowly, the monster's gaze trailed up from the body and met his own.

And it burned with hate.

* * *

Jaune Arc awoke with a start.

The jolt that came with his awakening on the hard lounge chairs of the airport resulted in the lad pulling a muscle in his neck, and he pushed himself up with a groan, slapping a hand over the sore spot. "Man, what the heck was that?" he complained to himself, using the bare fingers of his right hand to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

It was well into morning in the Kingdom of Vale. Light poured in from the windows of the terminal, giving promise to a sunny, almost cloudless day. A quick glance at the clock showed his flight to Beacon would be boarding soon, with not enough time to get a proper meal if he wanted to get through security and their permit check in time. Jaune grimaced—not like he could even if he had time, given that he was about to step onto an airship and fly across the sea. That was going to end poorly no matter what he did. With a sigh, he shrugged the strap of his duffel bag onto his shoulder and stood up.

There, he paused. It was like he could still smell the ash and smoke.

He pushed the thought away, shaking his head in irritation. It was just a bad dream. That's all it was. Still trying to convince himself, he hurried along to board his flight.

And what a miserable flight it had proved to be. Not only had Jaune predictably failed to keep his nausea in check, he had managed somehow on a rather attractive blonde's shoes, coming away from it with a humiliating nickname from the short brunette that had been with her, one he had the misfortune of hearing. He had barely been able to focus on the Beacon faculty member that had appeared on the holo-display.

He'd then found himself puking once more into a trashcan the moment he got out of the airship, after it had docked. Spittle dripping from his lips, he closed his eyes, not willing to look at the mess he'd made in the wastebin, lest he have another episode.

"This is not my day," Jaune muttered, wiping his mouth as he pushed himself away from the trash can he just threw up in. It really, _really_ wasn't how he had wanted to start his day: the day he would finally become a student of Beacon.

Even if he'd become one through… less than legitimate means…

The boy began making his way down the airship dock, staring in barely contained wonder like everyone else present. The terrible taste in his mouth was forgotten, lips parted in awe.

Beacon Academy was everything he had hoped it would be. The Cross-Continental Transmit Tower was the stunning centerpiece to the schoolgrounds, towering over a multitude of spires that loomed over the colonnades, the lampposts, and pools of the courtyard plaza. Prospective students had spread out as they made their way down the main avenue to the school, all of them gazing around at the structures and the trees filling the courtyard. Indeed, all the campus seemed to lack was a wall of ramparts around its perimeter that'd make it seem like a castle. But even then, the academy looked magnificent.

A flash of white caught Jaune's eye, and his head turned to follow it. He found himself stopping in his tracks. "Speaking of magnificent," he breathed.

It was her silvery-white hair he noticed first. It swept out behind her in a sidelong ponytail from her brisk walk, the crown-shaped ornament holding it glinting in the sunlight. She was wearing a stunning dress and jacket of a white and blue gradient, the hem of its sleeves and skirt seeming to sparkle in the sunlight. She had creamy, pale skin and a lithe, slender build, with icy blue eyes glancing down at the expensive-looking Scroll as she showed two men in suits something upon its screen. She was beautiful. She was exotic. She was… about to have her luggage collide with the cloaked brunette from the airship!

The servants pushing the trolley were so distracted by what was being shown them on the Scroll, they never saw someone was in the way. Jaune could only wince as the cloaked girl collapsed onto the luggage trolley, causing the girl in white to stomp towards her in a rage and start yelling at her. "What are you doing!?"

"Um… sorry!"

"Sorry? Do you have any idea of the damage you could've caused?" she snapped as cloak-girl handed over one of the cases she knocked over, and getting it snatched out of her hands for the trouble. "Gimme that!"

"Ah, man," Jaune muttered as the girl in white continued to scold the other girl, pulling out a vial of Dust as she lectured her on the dangers of such. He knew he shouldn't get involved, his sisters had warned him never to get between any heated exchange between two girls if he wanted to keep his hide intact. Ignoring their advice, he made his way towards the girls, hoping to at least get them to break it up. Wait, what was that sparkle-?

One sneeze later, his leg was on fire.

"Shit!" he yelped, slapping away at the flames burning away at his jeans. The two servants rushed to his aid to help put out the flames as the girl in white's shouts gained an octave. The moment the fire was put out, he gave the men a brief "thanks" before stepping forward again, carefully stepping through the luggage and the rubble of the newly formed crater until he was able to get between them.

"Okay, okay, I think she gets the point!" he said, cutting off the cloaked girl before she could snap back at the girl in white. She turned her icy gaze from her and onto him. "She looks like she's feeling pretty bad about it, and we really, really shouldn't be arguing about it out here, right? We could end up late for the orientation!"

She looked as if she was going to argue further for a moment, but then the girl in white let out a breath and stepped back. "Fine. You're right," she said curtly. She stepped past him to stare imperiously at the cloaked girl. "You! Help clean up the mess you made and we'll consider it even."

Jaune sighed. Best she could hope for, he thought, as the cloaked girl scrambled to her feet to start picking up the suitcases scattered about the crater. He knelt and picked up one himself to put back on the trolley. "Here, let me help," he said to the cloaked girl. She flashed him a grateful smile, and thankfully the girl in white said nothing about his aid. From the corner of his eye he saw a girl with black hair and gold eyes wordlessly hand over a discarded bottle of Dust to the girl in white before walking off.

When she handed the last suitcase to one of the two servants, the cloaked girl pivoted on one foot to face her persecutor. "There, all—"

She cut off with a squeak as the girl in white thwacked a small pamphlet against her chest. "Take this. Read it. And _don't_ let me catch you being so irresponsible around Dust again," she warned. She spun on a booted heel and strode away from the disaster, her servants following with her luggage. The two of them watched her depart with a sigh, before the cloaked girl looked at the object in her hands.

"Dust for Dummies," she muttered, and groaned. "Ugh. Welcome to Beacon…"

"Hey, it could've been worse," Jaune told her. "I'm glad I was able to talk her out of chewing you out more."

"Easy for you to say. You didn't get blown up."

"My pants caught on fire, actually," he rebutted, pointing at the char on his jeans' pantleg. The girl in the cloak glanced at it and flushed in embarrassment. She opened her mouth to speak, probably to apologize. He cut her off.

"I'm Jaune," he introduced. "Jaune Arc."

"Oh! Um, I'm Ruby," she told him after a moment. She blinked as she got a better look at him. Then she smirked. "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"

He scowled. Definitely not his day.

* * *

"I can safely say that this is a new record on property damage this year," A man said to no one in particular.

The Headmaster of Beacon gazed down at his academy from his office in the CCT Tower, a mug of coffee in one hand and his cane in the other. He could see the wisp of smoke rising from the newly formed crater in the street leading to the main plaza. Property damage was nothing new here, of course. It was expected to happen at a combat school. Inevitable when you pack a large group of heavily armed, hormonal teenagers looking to prove themselves to their peers into the same facility. But technically the year hasn't even started, and there was already something he'd need to send his deputy headmistress to repair. Won't she be pleased?

It was shaping up to be an interesting year, Ozpin decided, as he set his cane against his desk and looked over the tasks he'd set for today. The teachers on duty had their rosters, and the second years will by now have gotten their assignment to prepare the Emerald Forest for tomorrow's Initiation, to get the Grimm population within sufficiently wary and riled—contrary to popular belief, the creatures of Grimm are normally not attracted to exhilarated teens looking for a fight.

It would be a good lesson in stealth, tactics, and restraint for the older students. Some of them he felt were a little lacking in that last trait last year… particularly when it came to the leader of Team CFVY.

Seeing that everything was in order, Ozpin tidied up his desk and finished his morning coffee before taking up his cane and departed from the office. Glynda Goodwitch met within the elevator, and greeted him with a simple nod as they made their way down the tower to the auditorium. Wisely, the headmaster chose not to mention the damage to the school path just yet. It wouldn't do to set her off before the opening speech.

"I trust all of the preparations are being made," he spoke to his companion. Glynda nodded, glancing down at her Scroll.

"Of course. The other teachers should be informing the second-years of their tasks as we speak," she informed him. "They'll be deploying a few minutes after you wrap up the welcoming speech."

"Good. Let's hope it goes as smoothly for them this year as it has for the last two," Ozpin said as the elevator made its way to the ground floor. "After that it should be business as usual for the third and fourth-years… How about our new arrivals? Were there any irregularities we should be concerned with?"

"Other than the low turnout we expected, and the one you yourself orchestrated..." Glynda told him, and he knew she was referring to his transfer of Ruby Rose to the academy. "There was one entrant that caught my eye."

She brought up an image on her Scroll and leaned it over to him to examine. The headmaster saw the profile of a young woman with black hair and yellow eyes, and a bow atop her crown. She continued to speak, expressing her concerns on the matter. "Unlike the others, she's gained enrollment through our entry exam. I oversaw it myself, and her skill is not in question, but if you take in the features and look at her name…"

"Blake Belladonna? Curious," he said, gently taking the Scroll from her to examine her more closely. "You think she's related to them? I haven't heard of them having any children."

"It's a little early to tell, but the warning signs are there. Perhaps we should keep a watchful eye on her."

"I'll trust your discretion on the matter. Anything else?" Ozpin asked, returning the device to her. The elevator car came to a stop and the doors opened, allowing them exit.

"True to her word, Weiss Schnee arrived with the rest of the new students. I guess her father wasn't able to convince her to stay after all. Were you still planning on observing her?"

"Yes. I'm still convinced that it's her sister we should be concerned about, but it wouldn't do to be mistaken at this junction." They crossed through the breezeway between the CCT and the school proper, entering through the back. "Oftentimes personality and conviction is the indicator we need, but there have been aberrations before…"

"Very well, I'll leave a note to those in the know about having her classes examined," Glynda said, plugging in a note onto her Scroll. She shifted gears. "How are we doing on the requisitions for this year's festival?"

Ozpin grimaced at that question. "About as well as you can expect, with the thefts going on," he told her. "The scarcity of Dust will make it an expensive prospect this year, if we have to start ordering from the SDC direct…"

They were just about backstage to the auditorium when the headmaster stopped dead in his tracks, his answer trailing off. Glynda took a couple steps past him before she realized it, and turned back to him, confused. "Sir…?"

He didn't even hear her. The man stared ahead, seeing but processing nothing. He was focusing on the sudden tug within him, a warmth that suffused his soul. It was… a resonance? Yes, that is exactly what it was. It had been so long since he felt this that he had tucked the old feeling into the back of his mind, having been unneeded for some time.

But here?

Now, of all times?

It was impossible. Wasn't it?

Ozpin stirred, glancing down to his hand and flexing it when Glynda's voice registered finally. "Sir, are you okay?" she asked, glancing down at the curious action.

"I… yes, it's…"

He could feel a wave of nostalgia tugging at his mind. It had been a long, long time indeed since he had felt this. He had to focus, suppressing the warmth that had suddenly filled him. He turned his gaze back to his deputy headmistress. "I'll explain in a moment. For now, let's take care of this…"

He slid his right hand back into his pocket as he strode out onto the stage. The chatter quickly stilled at the edges of the crowd, though most in the center had not noticed his appearance yet. He hardly even noticed. As he had stepped out, the warmth seemed to pulse, and his eyes quickly locked onto that of another in the crowd. Suddenly, it all made sense.

He was not the tallest boy in the crowd, nor did he stand out any more than the others. His blond hair was unkempt but not wild, his blue eyes were not particularly knowledgeable but they were alert. He wore plain clothes in comparison to the more fashionable outfits his contemporaries around him sported, the armor strapped to his torso and shoulders were unremarkable, as was the sword strapped to his hip. The boy's own gaze was locked to his, and even at this distance, he could tell that he was alarmed, unnerved by his own arrival to the stage.

But when he looked at the lad, Ozpin knew that the time had at long last arrived. It was almost bewildering for him. Ah, but this changed things. He allowed himself a small smile. He let go of his cane for a moment, leaving it comically balancing on its point as he adjusted the glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, then calmly placed his hand back down upon its handle before it could tip over. He spoke into the microphone before him.

"I'll… keep this brief," he said, deciding not to waste any more time here than was necessary. The chatter died down in an instant, and the budding argument that looked to be beginning between Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee, both standing next to the boy he kept glancing at was quelled in an instant. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft, and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

Well, best not to beat around the bush. It was not a happy life they were training for. "But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy… in need of purpose, direction." He could see the children gathered before him look amongst one another nervously, unsure as to why he was addressing them in such a manner. The boy just continued to look out of his depth. Was he aware of it as well? His mouth continued to speak even as his mind wanted to be elsewhere.

"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far," he informed them. "It is up to you to take the first step."

With that, his speech was over, and he took one last glance at the blond-haired lad in the crowd before ambling away from the microphone, letting Glynda take over. She gave them her parting instructions and then hurried off to catch up him, away from the stage proper.

"It seems we have a change of plans, Glynda," he said as she reached his side. "Back to my office for the time being. I'd like to go over the first-years' transcripts again. We have much to do. Let us not waste time doing it."

* * *

What the _hell_ was that?

"… he seemed kind of… off," Jaune heard Ruby's sister say.

"It's almost like he wasn't even there…" Ruby agreed.

Jaune ignored them both. He also ignored the white-haired girl at the edge of his vision, the unease that had settled within him demanded all his attention. Why had the man in green's arrival set him off like this? Why did he feel that sensation, that feeling of something tugging at him the moment he appeared before him? He had no reason to experience such emotions and sensations. It was so… foreign in nature. The possibilities scared him.

Jaune backed away from the space in the crowd to leave, half-remembering Glynda's instructions for the students. He had to go clear his head.

Man, this was _seriously_ not his day today.

* * *

Weiss Schnee strode through the hallways of Beacon confidently, unmindful of the other prospective students all heading to the same destination. She paid them little mind even as a few glanced at her and whispered among each other, recognizing her for who she was: heiress of the Schnee Dusty Company. Under any other circumstances, she would've preened, at least in secret. Today, however, her strides only masked the annoyance she felt from the previous day. Her first day at Beacon made into a trial on her patience, well into the night.

The sources of those annoyances were within sight the moment she opened the door to the locker room, a red cloak trailing behind the girl in the black dress as she scampered behind a taller blonde. Weiss' eyes narrowed, as if to torch the stray petal that seemed to break away from the garment with the heat of her glare. Instead of taking a tour of the facilities of Beacon Academy, the incident in the courtyard forced the heiress to go through her belongings and check and recheck each vial of Dust she had brought with her. Particles of Dust were miniscule and when scattered in the air could hardly be seen save for the faint shimmer of light upon them.

It had been careless of her to shake the vial so, but she had been certain that the collapse of one idiotic child wouldn't be enough to compromise the seal on it.

The resulting blast had, as she feared, compromised many more of her Dust vials, and she had neither the time to find replacements for them, nor time to transfer the contents of each damaged vial into the hypothetical pristine ones if she did have them. All because of one sneeze. She had been willing to make peace with the other girl after that boy had interrupted her lecture and pointed out the situation, but then the foolish brat had the gall to cause a ruckus later that night when they were trying to settle down! It was like she wasn't even aware of the no doubt rigorous testing they'd be receiving all too soon.

 _No, Weiss, don't let your anger get the better of you again_ , she told herself in her head, fighting down her irritation. Instead she made her way to the locker in which she had stored away Myrtenaster and her surviving supply of Dust. With a little luck and clever application, what she could still safely use would be enough for whatever Initiation would throw at her.

Well, some luck, clever application, and the _incredible_ opportunity that just stepped into her line of sight as she reached the locker. Had she seriously put her belongings alongside those of the Mistral tournament champion? She couldn't have engineered a better chance if she'd tried.

The redhead was looking at a piece of paper to read the combination for the lock as Weiss approached, around the same time as a dark-haired boy and his loud-mouthed companion passed by them. "Pyrrha Nikos, right?" she spoke, making the other look up and turn to her. She held out her hand.

"Ah, yes," she replied quickly taking the proffered hand and giving it a firm shake. "You're… Weiss Schnee. A pleasure to meet you."

Just nearby there was an outburst just a few rows over, and it sounded uncomfortably like that… that _girl_ that blew her up. The boy from that same incident walked past, muttering to himself in frustration. Though she didn't catch his words over that of the cloaked girl snapping at her blonde companion, she felt she could sympathize, if he had to walk past that.

Weiss and Pyrrha took the opportunity to gather their things from their lockers, and once Myrtenaster was secure at her hip she turned back to her fellow prospective student. Time to make something of the opportunity that just fell into her lap.

"So, Pyrrha," she began, and Pyrrha turned her attention back to the white-haired lady. "I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong, well-known individual such as yourself."

"Hmm… I'm not quite sure," was the reply, as Pyrrha contemplated it for a moment. Really? No one had tried to make an alliance with her already? "I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may."

Well, it couldn't hurt to try her pitch then. She gestured with her open palm. "Well, I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together."

Pyrrha smiled at the offer—definitely a good sign. "Well, that sounds grand!"

She smiled back. "Great!"

 _This will be perfect!_ The heiress thought, triumphant as she turned back to close her locker. _The smartest girl in class combined with the strongest girl in class—together, we'd be unstoppable! Nothing could come between us now!_

Someone chose that moment to come right between the two of them. The boy from earlier appeared by their side, a confident grin on his face beneath the mop of blond hair. "Teaming up with you does sound like a great idea," he said, blue eyes fixed on Weiss. She blinked at the sudden arrival, and gave him a once-over. She quickly noted that plain jeans with the singed leg and the black hoodie. She also noted the well-fitted armor he wore over it, and the simple-looking blade strapped to his hip.

"You're… that boy from yesterday?" she said, still off-guard.

"Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you," he introduced with a wave. Weiss folded her arms beneath her breasts.

"Weiss Schnee," was her terse response.

"So, you heard the rumors about teams too? You and I, we'd make a pretty good one too. What do you say?"

She arched an eyebrow at the offer—and at the lack of his reaction to her name. Odd. He didn't look like much, but he certainly thought he was something if he so easily approached the two of them. Pyrrha chose that moment to speak up. "Actually, I think the teams are comprised of a group of four students, so…"

"You don't say. Well, play your cards right and maybe you can join us on the winning team," Jaune said, turning towards Pyrrha and tapping his breastplate with his thumb.

What?

No! No way was this little upstart hijacking her opportunity like that!

Weiss darted around and put herself between the two, pushing Pyrrha and Jaune away to step in the gap before turning to the boy. "Jaune, is it? Do you have _any_ idea who you're talking to?" she demanded.

He leaned forward, still smiling. "Not a clue, Weiss."

" _This_ is Pyrrha," she said, gesturing behind her.

"Hello again!" Pyrrha said. She could practically hear the smile.

"Pyrrha graduated at the top of her class in Sanctum."

Jaune shrugged. "Never heard of it."

"Ah! She's won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row! A new record!"

"That's… impressive?" he said, his smile losing a bit of confidence, but only to give way to consideration, it seems.

Weiss was confused by his lack of reaction. Did he not know who Pyrrha Nikos was? How could anyone training to be a huntsman not know who Pyrrha Nikos was? She turned back to the champion to share a look, but paused when she saw the look on her face. The redhead was still smiling, ever polite, but her eyes were sharp, as if pinning the boy down like a spear. Did she… see something in him?

Weiss knew that Pyrrha was shrewd. You didn't get through four high-profile combat tournaments and come out on top each time on power alone. It was clear she saw something in the unassuming boy.

She shook the thoughts from her head and put her hand on her hip as she turned back to Jaune. "Do you still think you're in a position to ask her to be on your team?" she asked, as if to gauge his reaction.

He glanced to the side, hand on hip and sighed. "I guess not," he remarked.

The heiress finished gathering her gear and shut her locker with a huff. "If you can't, then I don't see how you think you're in a position to be asking me the same."

Jaune blinked, returning his gaze to her. "Wait, are you supposed to be famous too?"

Weiss stared as Pyrrha suddenly broke out in giggles.

In retrospect, with his lack of recognition of either her name or Pyrrha's, she should've known. It didn't make it sting any less.

The champion stepped past Weiss and clapped a hand on his pauldron. "Don't worry about it, Jaune. I think you'd make a great leader," she told him.

Weiss blinked as he perked up at the praise. Was that what she saw in him? She grimaced and shook her head. No one, not even Pyrrha could determine that after such a short meeting. It had to be lip service to comfort Jaune. Had to be. "We won't know that until the actual Initiation," Weiss refuted, sounding dubious of Pyrrha's claim.

"Guess we'll see then, won't we?" he remarked, leaning over to her. "Pyrrha's on board for Team Jaune, so the spots are filling up quick. You don't want to miss your chance, do you?"

She sighed. Pyrrha's amusement was not helping matters. Just where did this boy get his confidence…?

Before she could say anything else, the intercom on the wall activated, and the voice of the Deputy Headmistress issued through.

"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for Initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

"And time for us to go," Weiss said, pivoting on the spot to leave.

"It was nice meeting you," Pyrrha said as she passed by Jaune, giving him a short, polite bow as he walked by.

Weiss could hear him sigh. "Likewise."

She spared him a glance over her shoulder, considering that confidence he kept displaying, and the measuring looks that Pyrrha had given him. She supposed they'd see when the test began.

Turning her gaze forward once more, Weiss pushed open the door to the locker room and proceeded onwards to Initiation.

* * *

Jaune, Ruby, and Yang were the last of their group to arrive at the designated spot on the Beacon Cliff, where the masters of the school awaited them. Most people had already lined up on the metal panels set into the ground, and Jaune followed Ruby to the remaining spaces, where he stood at the end of the line, closest to the headmaster.

The man in question gave him a nod over his mug as he stood on the plate. The boy gave him a weak smile in return, grateful that the sense of alarm from the day before was absent. Heaven help him if he had to deal with that today. He was so not ready for this—this was not at all what he had hoped for by coming here, but he'd gotten so caught up in everything that now he didn't know how to handle whatever was to come next.

Ozpin began to move, speaking as he did so. "For years, you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Jaune tried his best not to cringe at the guilt that suddenly welled up within him.

Glynda was hot on the man in green's heels, a large Scroll carried in the crook of her arm. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams," she continued on, drawing the eyes of the other students. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…"

As she mentioned it, Jaune stole a glance at Weiss towards the other end of the line, lamenting he couldn't attempt to talk her into teaming up with him further.

His attempts before weren't entirely because he was completely entranced by her beauty, or so he tried to tell himself. He would need a capable teammate in what was going to come, and someone that beautiful and confident had to be an amazing fighter, right? _Right?_

"… today."

Beside him, Ruby cringed. "What? Aw…"

At least he wasn't the only nervous one around here.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," Ozpin spoke up, raising his voice so the people at the ends could hear him from the middle of the group. "So, it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."

Ruby whined in fear. Jaune was starting to think she was more worried about this than he was, and he didn't even have the proper qualifications to be here!

The man suddenly grinned beneath his spectacles. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years!" he cheerily explained.

"What!?" Ruby yelped. Jaune stared in shock, mirroring the girl's sentiments perfectly. That didn't make any sense! Ozpin continued, unperturbed by the clamor that rose among the first-years.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way," he warned them, as a strong wind picked up around them, tugging at Ruby's cloak and Yang's hair. Jaune felt a chill that had nothing to do with that gust as Ozpin's tone changed entirely. "Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you _will_ die."

 _That's reassuring,_ Jaune thought with a frightened chuckle and a gulp. The headmaster went on to explain the objective, and Jaune listened the best he could. _Abandoned temple, find a relic, make it back here alive, 'cause the instructors won't help us stay that way. Easy. Definitely easy._

Not even he could buy his attempts to fool himself. Seriously, he should step back right now and try to explain the problem—

"Are there any questions?" Ozpin asked.

 _Oh, do I have plenty,_ Jaune thought, his mental voice sounding almost hysterical. But the man was too far away, and while he thought he heard someone else speak up with one of their own, Ozpin ignored them. "Good! Now take your positions!"

One after another, the boys and girls lined up down from Jaune started to crouch down into a ready stance. Some of them drew their weapons. Then, there was a sound distinctly like that of a catapult, and Jaune saw someone flung at high speeds into the air over the forest. Followed by another.

His eyes shot down to the panel he stood on, at the ones Ruby and Yang and everyone else was standing on. Oh. Oh no.

Weiss was launched sword-first into the sky, like a needle-tipped missile.

"Did they give us parachutes for this sort of thing and we just didn't see?" he asked, wishing his voice didn't sound as high as it did. The cloaked girl beside him grinned in response.

"Nope!"

Ozpin had returned back to this end of the line, and continued where she had left off, mug of coffee still in hand. "You will be using your own landing strategy, Mr…?"

"Ah, Jaune, sir! Jaune Arc!"

"Well then, Mr. Arc, I wish you and the others good luck," he said, giving him a reassuring smile, as Yang was shot into the sky.

"Right, thanks," Jaune replied hysterically, hunkering down like Ruby, just as the girl was launched. He swallowed again. Did he say yesterday was not his day?

He felt something click beneath the platform.

 _Today_ was not his day.

* * *

Ozpin's gaze followed Jaune as he was flung skyward, into the valley. He took a sip of his coffee and smiled, watching as the forms of the children shrank as they began their perilous descent into the Grimm-infested woods below.

"Feeling sympathetic for a change, sir?" Glynda said, her voice curious. She never did like how he revealed to the first-years the hypocrisy of how they formed teams, and his offering well wishes to one of them was completely unlike the man. She knew, however, his response to such matters, ever since she first asked.

Everything happened for a reason, after all.

"Let's say I was feeling generous today," he told her.

* * *

 _Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god…_

The wind seemed to tear at his eyes, and the watering made it hard to see where exactly he was going. The roar of it was obliterating his hearing.

Not that Jaune really _needed_ to know. He knew that if he didn't think of something damn quick, he was going to end up wrapped around a tree for the remainder of his miserably short life. That, or become a smear on the ground.

 _Why did I think this was a good idea!?_ He screamed in his head as his vision started to be made up of more green trees than blue skies. The first step in being a huntsman or huntress was a small one, carefully considered as it'd change their very lives—and here he was _literally_ taking a flying leap into it!

Suppressing the scream that desperately wanted to escape his throat, Jaune shook his head. His mind raced a mile a minute, looking for a way to survive. All he could think of was his gear—if he could get Crocea Mors' shield between him and whatever was coming and pray for landing on something relatively softer than a rock, he might make it out of this alive.

His hand shot down to the scabbard on his belt. And that's when he saw the flash of red and orange, followed by the sound of a gunshot.

The spear caught him through the hood, nearly cutting off his ear in the process, and yanked him sideways through the air. His scream came unbidden before it finally cut off as the spear slammed its blade into a tree trunk. His chest slammed against it a moment later, momentum carrying him back down the haft and knocking the wind out of him. It was a miracle he stayed conscious from the impact.

"What the hell?" he growled, shaking the disorientation from his head. He looked up at the spear pinning him to the tree, noting the red and bronze coloration and wondering who must've thrown it. "Is this Pyrrha's spear…?"

Did she just try to kill him!?

With a grunt he planted his feet on the tree trunk and wrapped his hands around weapon's haft, and pushed as hard as he could. "Come—on—you—" he growled as he pulled the spear free centimeter by centimeter.

After a moment, the weapon popped free, and Jaune realized his mistake.

He didn't even have a moment to yelp as he plummeted feet first to the ground. The landing jarred his legs and he fell onto his butt, with the spear hitting the ground beside him a moment afterwards.

"Ugh… so not my day…"

Woozily he got up and picked up the discarded weapon, examining it for a moment. He could see bits and pieces that seemed just a little out of place for a weapon. _That looks like a gun barrel_ , he thought. _Mechashift weapon then?_ Ruby said her scythe was also a gun… too bad he didn't really know how to use the more advanced weapon types. He had no way of switching it into another form like this. Still, a spear could be useful here. _Better hang on to it_.

"Well, I don't have time to stick around here," he said to himself. He gave his surroundings a quick glance, looking for a path through the foliage. Finding one, he quickly trotted off through it, unaware as a pair of familiar, arguing voices drifted into the area behind him.

* * *

It wasn't much longer before Pyrrha burst into the little clearing, shield at the ready in case of any danger. But she heard no snarls, no intimidating growls. Just rustling leaves and faint, feminine voices deeper into the woods. If her calculations were right, this was where Miló would've touched down, with Jaune with it. She glanced up, confident that he was...

… not here?

"What?" she blurted, not seeing any blond-haired boys in the forest canopy.

 _Oh no, did I miss? Was I wrong?!_

No, wait, _there!_ Green eyes squinted at the tree, and quickly spotted the telltale wound in the tree where her weapon had embedded itself into the wood. Was Jaune able to free himself?

 _Oh no, that's what must've happened. He got himself free and left_. And took Miló with him at that. He couldn't have gotten far though. She took a step, eyes scanning for signs of his passing.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as the bushes behind her rustled. It was followed by a menacing growl.

* * *

"This thing sure is handy," Jaune remarked as he used the spear to cut off yet another offending branch so it wouldn't smack him in the face. He made sure that Crocea Mors was mounted on his fist, ready to spring open at a moment's notice if anything hostile showed up. So far, nothing had. Small mercy, that.

"Oh, that looks like a clearing up ahead!" he exclaimed. He pushed forward through the undergrowth, eager to see if this had what he was looking for. _C'mon, all I need is one rock or tree… there's gotta be one I can… yes!_

He saw it at the base of a broken stump, strewn about all over its side: moss.

 _Perfect. Now I know which way I need to go_ , he thought as he knelt to examine it. His dad's survival lessons, a long-needed reprieve they needed from their female-dominated domicile, had been useful on the trip to Beacon and they were certainly paying off now.

He turned north, in the direction more moss was growing, and hefted up Pyrrha's spear. All he needed to do now was get to the temple and get a partner along the way, and _not_ run into any Grimm.

He took exactly one step when that plan was blown straight to Hell.

His first thought was that it was big. Sinewy muscle rippled beneath the black fur on the Beowolf as it stalked out from beneath low-hanging branches of a tree, staring balefully at him through the bony mask upon its snout.

"Oh… _shit._ "

With a snarl, the black beast lunged. Jaune shouted as he dove aside. He rolled, spat grass and dirt out of his mouth, and forced himself standing. He squeezed his left hand, and Crocea Mors' shield snapped into place. Just in time, too, as the Beowolf's claw crashed against it, making a horrid screech of nails on metal. The blow sent Jaune falling back with a yell.

The claw flashed out again. Jaune raised the spear to catch it.

Pain tore through his system as the slash cut through his glove and flayed open the skin beneath. With a pained cry, he staggered back. Pyrrha's spear sank into the dirt point-first as he dropped it. His hand felt aflame. He lifted it up into his vision, and his cry of pain caught in his throat as it beheld the light shining from the wound.

It blazed, sweeping over him in an instant. The Beowolf shrank back with a frightened growl, as if shielding itself from the light.

 _My… my Aura!?_

Jaune's mind whirled at the implications, at the sheer impossibility of it, even as it knit the wounds he took before his very eyes. Soon it was like he'd never been hurt at all.

The light faded, and the blond flexed his hand. The glow it held was etched into his mind, as if it were still there. He could feel it. Jaune's thought processes ground to a halt as the Beowolf roared, enraged at what it beheld. Its fur stood on end, muscles flexed, ready to pounce.

Jaune snatched up the spear at his side brought it and the shield up to bear. Despite the fear, despite the shock, he grinned.

* * *

Halfway across Remnant, a dreaded evil stared out across a vast hellscape illuminated by a shattered moon. A hellscape she did not see, as she was consumed by the awakening within her. Her infernal eyes were wide with shock.

"Impossible," she breathed.

* * *

 **Author's Note: As a word of warning, I'm fairly new to writing for RWBY and I'm still getting a hang of the characters' personalities and manners. Updates to this story may be a little bit slow in the meantime, especially with other writing projects also needing my attention. Hopefully it won't take long for me to adapt!**


	2. The Derangement

**Author's Note: Well, this took longer to get written than I expected, since I was challenged to write something for Halloween for another franchise. And I'm sure you all know how the holidays go afterwards. Something to note ahead of time is that this fic will have a bit of a slow build-up, but I'm sure you'll find it worth the wait and to your liking.**

* * *

 _Beta: Myareska_

 _"Nevermind digging the hole, I'm chiseling my gravestone."_

* * *

RWBY  
Pawn of Fate 

CHAPTER TWO:  
The Derangement

"Alright, fine!" Weiss exclaimed, whirling around back at her companion. "If we're lost, what do you propose we do?"

"Well I, um… uh…"

Ruby flailed about, looking around wildly for an idea that get this harpy of a princess off her case. "We just need to see where we're going!" she exclaimed, pointing at the canopy of the forest. "If we find a good vantage point, I'm sure we can find the temple!"

Weiss looked unimpressed. "And where are you going to find a good spot? You won't be able to see through the trees."

"I know that!" Ruby fumed. She stormed forward and took Weiss by the wrist, ignoring her squawk of protest as she pulled her along. Luckily for the cloaked brunette, there was a hill nearby. Ruby could feel the ground sloping up beneath her feet as she dragged her partner along.

"This could help!" she said.

Weiss was doubtful. "This doesn't look like it'll be high enough for us to see anything of use," she told her, examining the vegetation around them.

Ruby let go of the heiress' wrist as they crested the hill, seeing that it ended in a short cliff. Weiss was right—the ridge was just about even with the trees around them, and all they could view was a sea of green. The trees seemed to grow larger the further they went, but both girls were certain that those were much too far away to be within the operational zone for the Initiation. Not unless the Headmaster expected this to take them all day to get there and back.

"Just as I thought," Weiss said as she passed Ruby, causing her to visibly deflate. "Is there no higher point in this forest…?"

Ruby joined her in the observation, moving up to just behind the girl at the edge. She turned slowly, letting her gaze seek out anything that could possibly aid them. Instead, all she saw was yet more leaves, and all she could hear besides the wind was the sound of distant gunfire. _So not only am I stuck here with_ her, she thought bitterly, _everyone else is already fighting the Grimm! Man, this sucks…_

She was almost facing the opposite direction of where she'd started when Ruby caught sight of it. Silver eyes locked onto it, she leaned over and nudged Weiss in the arm twice before the white-haired girl responded. "What?" she snapped, turning towards her.

"I found our vantage point," Ruby said, pointing.

Weiss turned her gaze to follow her partner's hand. "… no."

"Do you see a better spot then?"

"Ruby, you're insane! That is a terrible idea!"

"Well it's the only one we got!" Ruby fired back. "We'll probably fail if we try to use the Beacon Cliff without the relic!"

"We're going to fail if this gets us killed too!" exclaimed Weiss. But Ruby was already moving—she spun out Crescent Rose into its scythe and used the gargantuan weapon to vault into the air over the cliff. One squeeze of the trigger later and she rocketed up into the air, grabbing a hold of a massive Nevermore's talon as it soared overhead. Moments later, Weiss was airborne from one of her glyphs, grabbing hold of the opposite talon for dear life. She bit off a curse that Ruby couldn't hear over the wind. If looks could kill, Weiss' glare would've incinerated her on the spot.

"Do you see anything yet!?" Ruby shouted over the wind, as if she weren't worried about attracting the attention of the giant monster they clung to.

"What!?" Weiss shouted back.

"Do you see anything yet!?" Ruby called again, louder. She was looking around herself as the ground below zipped by, desperately trying to spot their destination. She found it surprisingly difficult to do so when clinging to the nail of the dangerous monster.

"Of course not, you—wait!" Dangling from the talon one-handed, Weiss tried to point out a chunk of gray that stood out in the distance. "I see something over there! Is that it!?"

"Could be! We just need to get—ahh!"

Ruby's shriek came as the talon she clung to bucked at her. "Weiss! I think it knows we're here!" she shouted.

"You think!?" Weiss screamed back as she clung to the other talon for dear life. "I told you this was a terrible idea!"

"Get up on its back!" Ruby shouted, scrambling up the limb the best she could. Weiss was already moving.

The Nevermore screeched and dove, taking two screaming girls with it.

* * *

The enraged Beowolf snarled as it lunged, its claws flashing out. Jaune fell back beneath the first swing. The second attack crashed against his shield. It was all Jaune could do to hold it back as he dug his boots into the ground. Grunting, he shoved the Beowolf back. The spear in his grip darted out, catching the Grimm across its snout. The blade scratched uselessly against the beast's mask, and it howled in fury.

Jaune had no time to think, no time to curse. The monster was already upon him. Its weight smashed against the shield, claws grasping around its edge. It yanked his cover aside, and Jaune toppled backwards with a yell as it fell upon him.

His pilfered spear exploded out of the Beowolf's back.

Bellowing in pain and fury, the creature of Grimm clawed at the weapon buried in its chest as Jaune scrambled out from beneath it. Staggering, glaring with baleful eyes, it continued its attempt on Jaune's life, claws lashing just out of range. Jaune tore Crocea Mors from his shield.

Once more, the dying beast slashed out. Jaune smashed the weak blow aside with his shield. His sword came up. With a yell, he brought it down on the beast's neck. Its roar cut off with a gurgle as its head tumbled away into the grass.

The corpse collapsed to the ground, stygian motes wafting away into the air. The only sounds now were that of Jaune's panting, punctuated by the distant sounds of gunfire.

"Okay… that was… that was easy…" he said between breaths, hunched over from the exertion. He took a moment to calm himself and stood back up, giving his kill a momentary glance. Only for a second, though. It soon turned to his hand clutching his sword. Jaune stared at the tears in his gauntlet, and at the unblemished skin exposed beneath them.

"How?" he wondered aloud.

How had his Aura unlocked itself? That should've been impossible.

He returned his gaze back to the corpse before him, slowly disintegrating away, and sheathed Crocea Mors before attempting to yank the javelin out of it. He tugged on it experimentally, then cursed before putting his boot on its shoulder to yank it out with both hands. "Come on, get out of this thing…"

The rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs behind him reached his ears, and panicked, Jaune tore the weapon free of the corpse, spinning around and holding it in both hands to confront the threat.

The familiar sight of Pyrrha Nikos burst out of the foliage. She came to an abrupt halt as she laid eyes on him. "Jaune!" she shouted, stunned.

He lowered the spear, shoulders slumping with the sigh he didn't know he'd been holding. "Man, don't scare me like that!" he exclaimed. "I thought you were another Grimm!"

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha apologized. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"What? Why—oh, right," Jaune realized, glancing down at the spear—which he still hadn't returned. "Well, you, uh… you did kind of throw this at me. I was a little concerned."

Pyrrha had the decency to blush and look embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she apologized again. "I just… you said you had a spot open on your team? I was just… trying to secure that position."

"…I did, didn't I?" Jaune remarked. Well, at least he knew she wasn't trying to attack him. Her pinning him had probably saved his life… but he couldn't even thank her without giving away his little secret.

He shrugged. "Well, welcome aboard to Team Jaune!" he said brightly. "Guess this makes us partners, huh?"

"That's right," Pyrrha agreed with a thankful smile as she approached, looking more relaxed—and looking more comical. He was noticing she had some twigs and leaves caught on her armor and in her ponytail. Had she run this entire way—

A rustle of leaves was the only warning they had. The Beowolf erupted from the same foliage Pyrrha had, landing on the grass with nary a sound, muscles coiled. "What-!?" Jaune cried, stumbling backwards even as Pyrrha spun about, eyes wide with shock. With a roar of fury, the beast pounced, claws flashing in the sunlight.

" _HORK!"_

The roar cut off abruptly as Pyrrha's leg snapped out, kicking her buckler into its throat. Choking, it collapsed backwards even as momentum carried it forward to crash into the dirt before them.

"Here!" Jaune shouted, tossing the spear to Pyrrha before drawing his sword once more. She caught it neatly out of the air, and it twirled in her hands before she plunged it through the Grimm's breast. Even as she pulled it free, more were rushing out into the clearing. They flanked to either side of the trainees, snarling. Pyrrha cursed, turning towards one of them. Her spear whirled in her hands, altering itself until she held a sword in a strong grip as she threw herself towards the nearest beast.

"Oh man," Jaune groaned. Pyrrha must've thought he could handle the others himself!

 _I can do this_ , he told himself. He killed one Beowolf, he can kill another. He just needed to—

"Whoa!" Jaune yelped as he ducked. The furious Grimm's claw swept over his head, missing his face by centimeters. He bobbed and weaved in desperation under a flurry of swipes. Finally one smashed against his shield, and he braced himself against the impact. Crocea Mors stabbed upwards, its blade tearing through the side of its neck. The two fell back from the trade, and with a yell, Jaune threw himself at the wounded monster.

His strike was sloppy and unrefined, but he put his weight into the blow. The Beowolf was reckless with anger, and lunged even as Jaune attacked. The blade bit into the bony mask of the beast, cracking it across the eye socket. The attack smashed the beast's face aside, its claw missed Jaune's abdomen, and his blade rose up again. He slammed it back down on its wounded neck once, twice before it the creature's arm got in the way of a third blow. It collapsed to the side, where it shuddered and died.

The clearing was still drowning in the sounds of snarling. Two of the beasts threw themselves at Pyrrha, and she met both at once, a whirlwind of metal. Her xiphos flashed out, slipping beneath outstretched arms. Wounds of red burst open across rib cages. A corpse hit the ground, and Pyrrha twisted beneath a strike at her face to lay open the second beowolf's arm.

A third scurried out from the brush, slinking low and fast towards the battle. It burst up behind Pyrrha, claws raised to strike, as she hacked off the other Beowolf's arm. The wet sound of tearing flesh cut through the air, followed by a howl of rage. Pyrrha gasped and spun about, her blade sweeping out in a lethal arc. The wounded beast's howl cut off with a choke as its head went flying through the air.

Jaune pulled his sword free from its back as it collapsed, panting from the desperate run he made to close the distance.

"Thanks," Pyrrha said, lowering her gear. She gave a glance around the clearing. "I think that was the last of them."

"Looks like it," he replied, grimacing at the disintegrating corpses now littering it. "Buuut I'd rather not stick around to see if that's true."

"Right."

Pyrrha moved to follow Jaune as he left the clearing northward. Both of them made sure their weapons stayed drawn as they pushed through the overgrowth. Jaune spoke first to break the silence. "I've never seen anyone fight like that before," he remarked. His dad certainly couldn't. "I guess that's why you're a four time champion, huh?"

Pyrrha scratched the back of her head with her left hand, looking sheepish at the compliment. "A little bit, yes. It's easier when I have my weapon though," she told him. "It's not a simple task to kill a Grimm with just a shield."

Jaune flinched. "Yeah, sorry about that," he apologized before explaining. "Didn't think it was a good idea to leave it there like that."

Pyrrha smiled and shrugged. "Well, at least you put it to good use. Are you familiar with javelins?"

"Ah, no, I just got lucky," he admitted. "That or the Grimm was just really dumb."

Pyrrha laughed. "Possible. They're not too bright usually… the older ones are smarter."

Jaune filed that tidbit away for later as he pushed through the growth, shoving low-hanging branch away with his shield. "Hey, maybe you could—ow," he recoiled. The branch had slid up the shield and struck him in the face. His yelp had been more reflex than anything as his Aura absorbed the impact. He grimaced as Pyrrha giggled.

"Maybe you could show me some pointers on fighting with your javelin later," he tried again, as this time he started cutting his way through the foliage. "Maybe some sword-fighting tips too. What you did back there was unreal."

"I'd be happy to," Pyrrha said with a smile. "I'll need to know a bit more about your fighting style first though."

"My fighting style?" Jaune said, thanking the gods that his voice didn't crack just then. "Uh, yeah, sure. I guess you'll see on the way?"

 _Great, that little idea backfired immediately,_ he groused internally. Now he had to somehow feign competence. Still, confidence and luck had gotten him this far…

They continued to meander through the Emerald Forest, their conversation going nowhere. Pyrrha noticed how every time gunfire or the clash of steel against bone echoed through the trees, her new partner's gaze sought out its direction. Jaune noticed how she had an appreciative smile for his every action, and to repress his grimace that came with the suspicion she was misunderstanding his nervousness and paranoia as something else.

Their trek, along with conversation, soon ground to a halt as they pushed their way into another clearing.

What looked to be a massive hill barred their way. It towered over them, devoid of foliage and leaving stone and dirt bare to the sun. Their eyes trailed down from its peak as the wandered around its perimeter, seeking a way through or around, and soon the two of them discovered the gaping hole of a cavern set the center of the slope base. Nearby was a wall of age-smoothed stone, marred only by a series of figures etched into it. Jaune gave them a cursory glance before turning back to Pyrrha.

"Think this is it?" he asked.

She looked skeptical. "I'm not sure… it doesn't look like a temple, really…"

"Maybe it's inside?" he suggested, pointing to the etchings. "Those look pretty old, so it had to be pretty important."

Pyrrha opened her mouth to speak and cut off as the ground shook. Dust fell from the mouth of the cavern as the whole mound shook. Everything was still for a moment before it hit again. The hill reverberated like a bell. Nervously the teens backed away from it, bringing up their shields.

"W-What's going on…?" Jaune asked.

She didn't have to answer. The darkness within the chamber seemed to shift, and the ground shook again. No longer was it the steady ring of a bell—now it was the building thrill of an explosion. The two of them staggered back as they lost their footing, butts hitting the ground as the shaking reached its climax.

The Grimm erupted from the mouth of the cavern with a terrible screech. Rocks flew about and pelted the two trainee hunters. The Deathstalker lifted up its claws and clacked them threateningly, its glowing stinger rising up above the armored beast.

Jaune and Pyrrha screamed in unison as they threw themselves aside as that stinger flashed down at them, cracking stone with the force of its impact. Still screaming, the pair fled, and the Grimm followed.

* * *

Atop the cliffs, the thunder of gunfire seemed distant. The roars of embattled monsters was muted. Smoke billowed up over the canopy in far off region of the Emerald Forest, and beneath it if he looked closely, Ozpin could see the lapping tongues of flame.

Glynda returned to his side, sighing as she handed off her large Scroll to him. "Luckily the damage won't be too bad," she informed him. Her annoyance was palpable. "I'm beginning to get concerned about Miss Rose. That's twice in as many days that she's caused damage to her surroundings through Miss Schnee's Dust. I'd rather not see that become a trend."

Ozpin grinned at his deputy's frustration. She certainly hadn't been happy to learn of the crater in the center path of the academy grounds. "Well, it's not like she wasn't the only one responsible for this fire," he reminded her, flipping the feed over to Ruby's sister as she approached the temple. "Miss Xiao Long has proven to have a very healthy destructive streak in her."

Glynda grimaced. Even with her Semblance, fixing the school property was no easy task. Trust the children to cause havoc whenever they can…

The headmaster changed the feed again, this time back to Jaune Arc, busy running for dear life from an enraged Deathstalker alongside Pyrrha Nikos. Glynda frowned at the sight.

"All of the Grimm seem to be more aggressive than normal…" she noted.

"I have to agree," Ozpin watched on, keeping a careful eye on Jaune as he barely managed to avoid another sting from the monster. The boy waved frantically at his partner to move, but he couldn't hear anything being said. "It's certainly unusual. Were the second years too effective at their task yesterday?"

"No, no more than usual. That's what has me concerned," Glynda admitted. "I think they'll be okay, however."

Ozpin nodded as he returned the Scroll, and took his coffee back from the hand holding both it and his cane. "In some ways this may make them easier to vanquish. But only if they recognize the advantage they've been given."

Glynda looked down at the feed herself, seeing the two teens escape the beast's strikes by the skin of their teeth. "Well, if they'll give them the chance to think for more than a second, perhaps," she said doubtfully. Was it just her, or did it seem like the Deathstalker was focusing more on the boy…? It almost looked as if it was trying to get Pyrrha out of the way.

"Have faith in them," Ozpin told her gently. "I have no doubt in my mind that they'll prevail."

He had to. Fate was rarely kind, he understood that. But Fate wasn't without purpose, and it was rarely cruel for the sake of cruelty. The time had come… and he had little doubt in his mind as to what would soon unfold.

* * *

Jaune's heart thundered in his chest as he ran for his life. He didn't care that his legs felt like fire. The boy forced himself to keep running, to get as much distance between himself and the beast as possible. Beside him, Pyrrha ran just as desperately, ducking and leaping from the swipes of its pincer. Behind him he could hear the clacking of its mandibles against the bony mask adorning its face.

There was a yelp at his side as Pyrrha's footing gave way beneath her. Jaune saw only a flash of red hair as she went down in a cloud of dust. "Pyrrha!" he shouted as she disappeared beneath the stampeding scorpion's legs. The beast ignored her as she went down. Jaune tore his gaze from where his partner disappeared and pumped his legs harder. From the corner of his eye, he saw the Deathstalker's pincers raise up to strike.

Jaune felt something grab hold of him from behind just as the beast struck.

He yelled in shock as he was wrenched from his feet by his own armor, yanked backwards through the air. The Grimm's claws swept harmlessly beneath him.

He felt himself spin about in midair, and the branch of a sturdy tree was rushing up to meet him. He impacted it with a grunt, and wrapped his arms around it, clinging for safety. Up ahead in another tree was Pyrrha. Quietly, the redhead motioned up into the forest canopy before scrambling up deeper into the tree.

 _You don't need to tell me twice!_

Jaune hastily pushed himself up on the branch and climbed up higher, even as the Deathstalker turned about, seeking them out. Mandibles and pincers clacked with a menacing promise, and Jaune could only hold his breath as it passed beneath his hiding place.

An explosion rocked the forest. It was followed by a feminine whoop of cheer.

The Deathstalker spun about. Jaune's heart stopped in his chest as its tail nearly clipped the trunk of his tree, and with a screech, the beast plowed through the forest in the direction of the blast. A series of cracking noises signaled its departure as the trees were smashed apart in its wake.

Pyrrha landed on the ground, followed by Jaune a moment later. "We… we made it," the spartan girl panted out.

"That was too close," Jaune said. "Let's get the hell out of here before it comes back."

"Right!"

They took off running for the temple, Jaune praying that it was close by.

Mercifully, his prayers that day were answered. Within minutes they burst out into a clearing with the ruins in plain sight. Jaune could even see Yang standing within them, turning around at the sound of their arrival.

"Oh, thank the gods," Jaune exclaimed, relief leaving him feeling drained. His chest slumped forward as he propped himself up with his hands on his knees.

"Hey, vomit boy!" Yang called out to him, waving.

"Vomit boy?" Pyrrha asked, sounding aggrieved at the apparent insult.

"Don't ask," he muttered. It didn't help that he felt like he was going to vomit any minute now from all of the terrified running. He pushed himself back up straight and the two of them made their way over to the temple.

"Jeez, what's up with you?" Yang asked.

"You look like Death itself was on your tail," the black-haired girl with her remarked.

"Close enough," Jaune sighed, exhausted. "Giant scorpion came at us from some cave, chased us here."

"We barely managed to get it off our tail," Pyrrha informed them. Jaune took a moment to look around the temple grounds. The boy wasn't even sure if he could call it that; it looked little more than a broken-down colonnade encircling a bunch of pedestals.

"These are the relics?" he said. "These are just chess pieces…"

"What, were you expecting something fancy?" Yang teased. "A big glowy crystal or shiny medallion?"

"I was expecting something I wouldn't find in a thrift store, at least."

Yang laughed, and the girl beside her smiled a little. Jaune snatched a rook off its pedestal and pocketed it. "So now we just get back to the cliffs, right?" he said.

"That's right," Pyrrha confirmed. "At least it won't have trouble figuring out where to go?"

"Don't say that!" Jaune lamented. "We'll run into another giant monster."

The three girls' giggling quickly died off as a shadow passed overhead, momentarily cloaking them in shade. The four of them looked up, necks craning as the titanic form of a Nevermore soared overhead, followed by a pair of feminine screams.

"You just had to say something, didn't you, Pyrrha?!" Jaune cried.

"I'm sorry!"

Something dislodged itself from the flying monster and hung comically in the air for a second before it began to plummet, screaming all the while.

The black-haired girl's hair bow seemed to twitch as she squinted. "Yang?" she called.

"Yeah Blake?"

"Is that your sister falling from the Nevermore?"

Yang's eyes widened as she caught sight of the fluttering red cloak. "Oh, shit! You're right!" she yelped. "Hang on, sis, I'm coming!"

Yang snapped her arms back, and she rocketed into the air with a bang that left their ears ringing. Several more shotgun discharges followed as she went careening towards her sister. Ruby's scream cut off with an "eep!" as Yang caught her over her shoulder. There were several more bangs as Yang redirected and slowed their descent to the ground, landing with a heavy thud.

"Jeez, sis, how the heck did you get up there?" Yang asked as she set the cloaked girl on her feet.

"Long story. Where's Weiss?" Ruby asked.

"Weiss? How'd you get her for a partner?" Yang laughed.

"No, seriously! She was with me! Is she still up there!?" Ruby exclaimed, craning her neck upwards to look for her. She started shouting. "Weiss! _Weiss! Can you hear me!?_ "

" _Ruby, you ingrate!"_ came the reply from above. The heiress struggled to hold onto the Grimm's feathers. But the beast screeched in fury and banked hard, eliciting a scream of fright from Weiss. The quills she clung to gave way, and Jaune's eyes widened in shock as she tumbled backwards into freefall. A talon lashed back, striking the unprepared Weiss and sending her hurtling away.

He was moving before he realized it.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted as he bolted away from the temple. Skidding to a halt in the clearing just past the temple, he scooped his arms out and adjusted his placement. Weiss' scream got louder the closer she was to landing. It cut off as she landed neatly in his arms.

The shock of the impact sent pain shooting down his back and he fell to one knee with a distressed grunt, but upright he remained, Weiss safely cradled in his arms. The girl was cringing in anticipation for a grisly impact that never came, and after a moment, peeked open an icy blue eye in bewilderment.

"Jaune?" she said, catching sight of him. "What…?"

"I saw you drop in, so I guess today's not so bad after all?" Jaune said goofily. Shakily he stood back up, still cradling her.

She grimaced. "Put me down," she ordered.

Before he could do anything, the sound of collapsing trees grabbed everyone's attention. The downed plants were strewn across the clearing's sides as the Deathstalker from before burst out of the foliage with a screech, something pink dangling from the stinger on its tail.

"Oh, good, that's back now," Jaune said with a sigh.

"Down. Now!" Weiss ordered again, a lot more urgent.

The Grimm's tail arched back and snapped forward. The pink thing flew overhead with a "Weeeee!" before crashing into the center of the temple, with Yang and Blake only narrowly avoiding the collision. "Ow!"

"Jaune! Get out of there!" Pyrrha yelled. The Deathstalker screeched again and charged with tail held up high.

Two sets of legs spun on the spot and took off running for dear life. Up ahead the others readied their weapons, and Jaune had only a moment to bank off to the side away from Weiss, just as she did the same. The blasts of gunfire deafened him to the point where he didn't hear the angry, inhuman scream behind him. Jaune's heart pounded in his chest as the adrenaline pumped through him, and not for the first time today he wondered what the hell he was thinking, coming here to Beacon.

"Jaune, look out!" Weiss screamed. He glanced back at the beast, only to see its stinger darting down at his face.

Something clamped down on his arm and yanked. The dirt where he stood exploded from the strike.

"Get up!" another voice said above him. Jaune looked up at the boy's face, framed by unkempt black hair with a lock of pink that drew the eye. His pink eyes were kept on the beast as it staggered under sniper and artillery fire. "Keep moving!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Jaune yelped as the green-clad boy hauled him up to his feet—then the two of them ducked as a claw tried to behead them both.

"Is this normal for you?" the boy asked as they bolted. The circumstances of their plight was not lost on either of them.

"I have no idea!" he told him honestly.

"Ren! Ren, _look out!_ " shouted the pink thing, which Jaune could now see as a redhead carrying a massive hammer. She was pointing into the air, and he looked up.

He was barely able to tackle the other boy aside as the gigantic Nevermore swooped in, its talons shredded through the ground. It roared as it passed, nearly colliding with the Deathstalker before banking hard and taking to the skies once more. Its way clear, the scorpion surged forward once more.

The air around them chilled in an instant before a wall of ice burst up around them in a flash, entrapping the monster's tail within it. Weiss finished twirling her rapier from the casting and pivoted. "Go!" she yelled as she bolted for the temple. Jaune and Ren picked themselves up and were hot on her trail, the three of them ducking under covering fire as ice slowly cracking sounded over the din. The boys collapsed in relief as they got behind the safety of the girls, heaving from the exertion of defying death.

"Great! The gang's all here! Now we can die together!" Yang said cheerfully.

"Can we not!?" Jaune yelled. "We're already halfway done with our mission here!"

"Yeah, Jaune's right. We just need to get back to the cliffs now," Weiss pointed out. "This is just wasting our time."

"That might be easier said than done…" Ruby worried, looking skyward again. The Nevermore was coming back around for another pass. It screamed and swept its wings forward.

"Hit the deck!" Pyrrha cried, throwing herself behind the crumbling wall over the temple. There was a cacophony of shouts as massive black quills slammed into the ruins around them, piercing into stone and dirt alike. The wall Nora hid behind was obliterated in moments.

"Well we're _definitely_ not facing them here!" Jaune yelped. He ran up the hill behind the destroyed temple grounds, waving for them to follow. "Let's get out of here!"

They all charged after him, followed by the sound of shattering ice and an enraged screech.


	3. Wheels in Motion

**Author's Note: I had a bit of a race to get this chapter out in time for the Volume 5 finale, but surprisingly it came out really well. Maybe I should spend more all nighters while fighting with my cats over muffins for this story. Hopefully everyone enjoys their day of RWBY... and be sure to check out Myareska's _Just a Few Pointers_ after this!**

* * *

 _Beta: Myareska_

 _"But, if I may be so selfish, I've got a chapter of my own to look through now."_

* * *

RWBY  
Pawn of Fate

CHAPTER THREE:  
Wheels in Motion

"The odds are rather stacked against them, aren't they?" Ozpin remarked as he watched the final eight initiates flee towards the ruins at the gorge through the Scroll. Seeing Glynda flip through the views to observe each of the children as they drew weapons for the conflict they could tell was coming was reassuring.

"It's unlike anything I've ever seen before," she said, sounding troubled at what she had witnessed over the feed. "I'm sure they can tell as well. It's not the group they're after."

"Yes. I think it's quite clear to him what's going on," Ozpin agreed. It had been easy for him to see as well. The Grimm in the forest were quite determined to snuff out the boy's existence, prioritizing other targets only on a basis of making it easier to kill him. They were driven in their objective. Could it have been her doing? Was her vile influence able to reach out this far?

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

A number of possibilities were running through his head as to why this was happening, and the theory that his archenemy was actively goading the beasts was the direst of them, the one with ramifications he dreaded to consider. Had she felt it too? That chance resonance he had shared with the boy the day before?

 _No, that's impossible,_ Ozpin realized. _Had she been able to feel it from that place, then_ _assuredly_ _I would've felt his presence long before now._ There had to be another explanation for the Grimm's interest in the boy, but all of his hypotheses meant little at present—he would only be able to find out more when the children completed their Initiation.

His companion frowned as she examined the other feeds one by one. "They're going to have more company soon," Glynda reported. He saw it on the screen—the creatures of Grimm were closing in on their location, attracted by the fear no doubt broadcasting from the children. "Are you sure you don't want to intervene?"

"I'm certain. This is a test for him as much as it is the others, perhaps even more important than the rest," Ozpin explained. "One I know he'll be able to overcome."

"And Miss Schnee?" Glynda prodded. "She's in as much danger as the others by being around him."

"Worry not about Miss Schnee," he told her with a smile. He took another sip of his coffee. "She's more than capable of handling herself. If they want to pull through, then they'll need each and every one of them to play their part. He won't allow any of them to fall behind."

* * *

The forest gave way to sprawling ruins on either side of the group, stretching out to a massive structure before a towering cliff. Jaune could tell right away that it was their best bet at escaping the blasted monster hot on their tail; there'd be no way it could climb up after them without them being able to kill it!

Whatever hope he had died a quick, undignified death as black figures stalked out from the granite buildings along the canyon walls. "Oh, come on! Where did these things come from!?" he lamented, skidding to a halt as the Beowolves began their charge.

"Nora! We could use some covering fire!" Ren called as his hands snapped up, guns at the ready.

The redhead snapped off a salute before she spun her hammer in hand, folding it in on itself, twisting and changing into a cylindrical cannon. "Fire in the hole!" she shouted as she pulled the trigger.

Snarls joined the gunfire in filling the air, echoing through the ruins. Gouts of pink flame pummeled through the ranks of the charging monsters. They charged through the blasts with claws flashing and teeth bared, crashing down on the ranks of the retreating hunters. Jaune and Pyrrha smashed them aside with their shields. The boy saw a flicker of black and red from the corner of his eye as Crescent Rose cut them down.

"Get around them!" Ruby yelled as she swept the scythe around her.

Blake and Ren flashed by with weapons in hand. Blades flashed out and Grimm screamed as they bit into their flesh. One twisted around, claw tearing into the girl's face, only for her to flicker in an instant as she fell back, unharmed. Jaune saw his opportunity and rammed his blade through its back. The beast howled in pain, a howl that came to an abrupt end when Blake plunged the tip of her sword through its snout and into its head.

An inhuman shriek cut through the air, followed by a shadow that enveloped the battlefield for the briefest of moments. "Aw man, not again!" Jaune whined as the Nevermore circled around and dove. "Look out!"

They only had a moment to scatter before the beast hit.

The ground quaked with its impact. Jaune felt weightless for a second, and could hear nothing but the wind howling in his ears.

Then his body smashed through a stone column and it was only thanks to his Aura that he was able to remain conscious. With his ears ringing from the crash, he could barely hear the others' calls of distress. Jaune struggled to pull himself from the rubble as the Nevermore stretched out its wings and took to the skies once more with a screech.

Pyrrha's face abruptly filled his vision as she pulled him up by his sword arm. "Are you okay?" she asked as his hearing returned with startling clarity. The snarls and roars were punctuated by the swishing of blades and blasts of gunfire as the others regrouped. He was about to answer when movement flickered at the corner of his eye.

Jaune barely got the shield up in time as the Beowolf's claw struck it. Pyrrha staggered back as he withstood the beast's weight. It was only a moment before she recovered, and together their swords crashed down on the Grimm's bony mask. It shattered beneath the weight, allowing Pyrrha's xiphos to cut its snout nearly in twain. The corpse collapsed onto the grass, like a puppet with its strings cut. Yet more were coming for Jaune's blood.

It was followed by the telltale sounds of trees snapping and crashing. The Deathstalker loosed an inhuman shriek as it arrived on the battlefield.

"Guys! A little help!" Jaune pleaded, eyes going wide with panic.

Miló spun and shifted in Pyrrha's hands until it became a rifle, and she immediately fired a round that punched through a second charging Grimm's eye. Two more rounds resulted in two more corpses, and yet another Beowolf leaped over the bodies. Its head disappeared in a cloud of black and red with the report of Ruby's sniper scythe. "This way!" the cloaked girl called, waving her hand towards the bridge in the distance. The others rallied behind her as she forged ahead. The monster was hot on their tails.

"Weiss, can you do that ice thing again?" Ruby asked as they ran. Her partner shook her head.

"I'm too low on Dust!" she growled, giving the girl a sidelong glare. Jaune glanced up, and paled.

"Guys, scatter!" Jaune yelled. The others looked up at the towering structure as well—and the Nevermore perched atop it as it swung its wings at them. They all veered away as the quills rained down upon them. Had he been able to observe, Jaune would've been amazed at how the others duck and wove beneath the deadly hail. It was all he could do to survive, throwing himself aside with his shield raised high to defend against the attacks. He felt himself skid in the dirt from the force of each quill's impact on the shield.

The projectiles stitched a wall between the eight of them. Cut off from four of the girls, Jaune glanced up at the sky once more. The Nevermore raised its wings once more, ready for another volley.

"I got it!" Nora shouted, raising up her grenade launcher once again. Soon the air was peppered with pink explosions, tearing through the tower the beast roosted upon. It took to the air with a screech, and shattered blocks of stone rained down over the bridges below. For the moment, the skies were clear.

"Go! Go!" Jaune urged them forward, waving his sword arm. Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren all rallied to his side. They cut down the few Grimm that got in their way. Gunfire sounded behind them, punctuated by the inhuman screech of the Deathstalker. "It's breaking through!" he heard Blake cry behind him.

He risked a look back as he ran after the others, catching sight of the beast as it smashed through the line of quills embedded in the ground. A flick of its claw sent Yang tumbling away as it zeroed in on Jaune. "Not good!" he cried, redoubling his efforts to escape. A dark shadow passed over the bridge as the others ran across. Jaune's footsteps seemed to echo out over the gorge as he raced to the others, but he came skidding to a halt as he caught sight of the Nevermore circling back around for another pass.

Halfway across the bridge, Jaune glanced first up at the Nevermore, then back at the Deathstalker. He realized there was one chance at changing the course of the fight. The monstrous bird had begun its swoop.

"Jaune, what're you doing!?" Pyrrha demanded. She had realized he'd halted his run. "Jaune! Run!"

The Deathstalker was smashing through the columns at the end of the bridge. The stones pelted its bony armor to no effect as the beast's legs scrambled onto the bridge itself. Jaune brought his weapon up to bear, tense and coiled, ready to spring. His eyes watched the tip of the stinger arched over the Deathstalker's back warily. They darted to the side, seeing the growing black form of the Nevermore.

The Deathstalker lunged, tail snapping forward.

The shield of Crocea Mors came up to meet it. Jaune felt himself lifted off his feet as the blow smashed against his shield, sending him hurtling back towards his partner, armor screeching as it scraped against stone. He looked up and let out a vindictive, hysterical laugh as the Deathstalker surged in for the kill.

Just as the Nevermore crashed into the bridge where he'd been standing only seconds before.

The scorpion let out one last screech as it plummeted into the abyss, legs scrabbled hopelessly for purchase. It disappeared into the mists, followed up with a distant crash. Cheers could be heard from the other side of the canyon as the other girls witnessed the spectacle. Those cheers were replaced by snarls, as the Grimm regrouped and charged them, returning their minds to the fight.

"I can't believe that worked," Jaune said, shakily getting back onto his feet.

"Don't relax yet," Ren warned, pointing a StormFlower upwards. The Nevermore shrieked in challenge, banking around for another pass. Jaune's three companions readied their guns.

"This is gonna suck, isn't it?" he asked.

"… yes," Pyrrha admitted. "Yes it is."

"We're okay!" Nora said, smiling far too brightly for the impending doom turning in their direction. "We know you've got a plan, Jaune!"

He really didn't.

The Nevermore dove with a screech. "Nora, with me!" Jaune shouted as he took off running down the bridge. She followed suit with a manic giggle. Ren and Pyrrha took off in the opposite direction, opening fire with their guns. Bullets struck fruitlessly at the beast's underside as it gave chase, cawing angrily as it landed hard on the tower floor, cutting off Jaune's path.

Its beak stabbed downwards at him. His shield came up just in time, and metal rang, echoing through the canyon as the blow was redirected into the bridge. Jaune stepped aside, and Nora swept forward, Magnhild hurtling in an arc. There was a squawk of pain as the hammer crashed into the side of the Nevermore's face. Fragments of bone tumbled through the air and the creature staggered back, shrieking again before launching into the air with a mighty flap of its wings.

Pyrrha leaped up onto a broken column and launched herself after the Grimm. Her spear flashed out. Another screech rent the air as it bit into the joint of its leg. She grabbed hold of the limb and yanked it out, stabbing it again and again. The Nevermore screamed in rage, flailing its ruined limb about until finally Pyrrha's grip failed and she was sent hurtling through the air, devoid of her weapon once more.

The spartan girl twisted midair and shot her arm out, catching Ren's hand as he swung her momentum back onto the platform. They shared an unspoken thought between them, and when Pyrrha's boots touched down, she used her momentum to lift Ren off his own feet. She spun around with the centrifugal force, and Ren flew through the air as she let go.

The black-haired boy steeled himself as the Nevermore came in for another pass. His hand snapped out and closed around Miló's haft. Ren vaulted around it and ripped it free. Blood arced through the skies as he sprinted up the monster's leg. StormFlower rattled in his hand, stitching bullets across its body. It shuddered and writhed under the onslaught, trying to fling him from its back. Ren slammed the butt of Miló against its flesh, and a squeeze of the trigger sent him flying off of the beast. He hit the tower with a roll, grunting as broken rock dug into his back, and came to a stop as Jaune caught him. The another shriek, the Nevermore flew off, setting itself up to make another pass.

"Any luck?" he asked, hauling Ren to his feet. The other boy shook his head.

"It's tough. We need someone stronger to hurt it up top," he told him. Jaune cursed. No way that was going to be easy with it dead set on eating him. Ren tossed the spear back to its owner, and an explosion shook Jaune from his thoughts. Nora squeezed Magnhild's trigger again, sending more grenades after the creature as it swept overhead, once more denied its prey.

His eyes trailed down from its flight path to the crumbling remains of a bridge. It was a fool's chance, sure to be suicide, but it wouldn't be long before the beast realized it could cut through what was left of the temple and kill them all.

Miló roared in Pyrrha's hands, muzzle flashing repeatedly until its magazine ran dry. From the corner of her eye she saw a flash of white from Jaune's armor as he sprinted past. "Jaune!?" she exclaimed. Her partner charged down the broken-up bridge and skid to a halt, spinning around with his weapons ready. His eyes locked onto the beast in the sky. He could feel it staring back, full of rage.

Its cry cut through the battlefield. With a flap of its wings, it dove once again at the tower, beak wide to devour.

"Nora, launch me!" Jaune screamed.

Nora shot forward with glee, squeezing the trigger on Magnhild. Pink exploded behind her, and the hammer smashed into what remained of the bridge. Jaune let out a panicked yipe as the structure buckled beneath his feet, catapulting him through the air.

Time seemed to slow down as the Nevermore passed beneath him, its molten eyes glaring balefully. Its beak snapped up at him, narrowly missing his feet by inches.

Time caught back up, and with the wind obliterating his hearing, Jaune desperately stabbed his sword down at the monster's back. Crocea Mors bit deep, eliciting another screech, and Jaune felt his arm nearly pop out of its socket as the whiplash stopped his flight cold. His free hand flailed about until it grabbed a handful of down, steadying his mounting.

The beast raged, twisted, and turned, desperate to fling its prey from its back. It was nothing compared to Jaune's hysterical screaming. He couldn't hear the shrieks, he couldn't hear the concerned shouts of his comrades. All he could do right now was survive. The Nevermore pulled up, soaring high over the cliff. Jaune dared not look back.

The would-be hero wrenched his sword free and stabbed again, pulling himself forward. Desperate, he climbed towards the creature of Grimm's head. _Focus on the objective, Jaune! Focus!_ he chanted in his mind. _You can do this! All you need to do is Apply Sword to Enemy's Face!_

The winds shifted, and he felt himself lifting up again as the Grimm twisted in midair, reorienting itself towards the ruins far, _far_ below. Luckily with how hard he was clenching, he wouldn't need to worry about a change of pants.

The beast dove, and Jaune screamed as they plummeted. Crocea Mors came free from its flesh, and he found himself sliding down towards the neck, and the forest racing towards him. Desperately he grasped the weapon in both hands. He slammed its point down with all his might, plunging it deep.

The monster jolted, its body slackening in flight. The Nevermore's cry cut off in an instant. Jaune only had a moment realize what had happened—and how precious little time he had before what was coming.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang let out little screams as the tumbling corpse hurtled mere feet overhead and crashed before them. The dead weight tore up the land, plowing through and crushing Beowolves beneath it, leaving mangled bodies in its wake. Jaune let out a scream of his own as the impact flung him forward. He tumbled across the ground in comical fashion, yelps of pain punctuated with each impact, until he finally came to a stop. He lifted his head up deliriously, then collapsed back to the ground, blacking out entirely.

As he came to, his vision was filled, to his delight, with that of young beauties. Weiss and the others were all gathered around him, faces depicting various degrees of concern. "Did… did someone get the number on that Nevermore…?" he remarked stupidly. Warmth trailed from his right hand, and it was a moment before he realized that Ruby was clasping it tightly.

The silver-eyed lass grinned and stood, still clutching his hand. "He's okay!" she exclaimed as she hauled him up into a sitting position. His head swam with the effort, and he quickly shook it from his system. He took stock of the situation. Beyond the girls, the corpse of the Nevermore lay, slowly disintegrating into the air, his sword sticking out of the beast's severed spine. It was an amazing sight, framed by the canyon walls and temple ruins. Had he really done that…?

"I tell ya, vomit boy, way to crash a party," Yang said, clapping him on the shoulder. "I think you managed to scare off the rest of the Grimm!"

"It was so cool!" Ruby gushed. Beside her, Weiss rolled her eyes, even as the girl continued to praise. "I've never seen anyone do something so insane! You gotta show me how you did that!"

"I'd really rather not do that again," he said. He pushed himself up to his feet, accepting Blake's helpful hand. "I definitely prefer keeping my feet on the ground."

"Jaune! You're alright!" Pyrrha's voice called out. His head snapped up as she vaulted herself over the corpse, running towards him with weapon in hand and a smile of relief on her face. Ren and Nora were hot on her tail, the former looking ragged from the day's excitement, the latter's face stretched in an almost permanent grin.

"We. Were. Awesome!" the redhead squealed. "We are so getting the MVP award for this!"

"Not if we don't get back to the school," Blake pointed out. "The Grimm aren't here right now, but that doesn't mean they won't come back."

"Yeah, we definitely need to get out of here!" Ruby said. "Let's get going! Everyone got their Relics?"

Jaune and Yang both confirmed theirs, fishing them out of pockets.

"You remembered to grab one, right?" Ren asked, looking over to his partner.

She gave him her best "Duh" expression, bringing the oversized rook out from her brace. "Who am I, Ren?" she asked.

He sighed. "You're queen of the castle, Nora."

"Hell yeah I am!" she cheered.

"Can we get going?" Weiss whined. "I so do not want to be here anymore."

"Yeah, let's get going," Jaune said, heading towards the monster he downed. He fished his sword from its corpse.

Distant howls started to sound from the forest, making them all jump. Nervously, the eight of them looked amongst one another.

"Ah, man, here we go again…"

* * *

At a time where the excitement of the day should be winding down, Beacon Academy's auditorium was filled with applause and cheers as Ozpin ended their evening by inducting the new trainees into their futures. "… Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark," he spoke out to the four armored lads before him on stage, gesturing to their portraits arranging themselves upon the monitor above them. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward…"

Jaune did his best to remain standing with his partner, just a little ways behind Weiss and the girls she fought alongside at the canyon earlier that day. His armor was scuffed and marred with dirt and dust, an armored glove shredded through across his hand, and his every muscle ached as he fought back a yawn. Even the difficult trek to Vale had been nothing compared to this single hellish day.

But he had made it. Launched off of a cliff with no Aura and no idea as to what he was doing, he had survived a gauntlet of monsters and hazards, slain two gigantic Grimm, and now stood in the halls of Beacon, clad in the light of his soul, watching as the four girls before him marched on stage as Ozpin called their names. For all his lack of proper transcripts and lack of training, he finally felt like he deserved this.

"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long," he welcomed them. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces."

Not for the first time, Jaune's tired mind wondered why the headmaster called the gold-colored "relics" white. Did they run out of actual white pieces at whatever store that robbed him of his money for the set?

"From this day forward, you will work together as… Team RWBY," he announced. "Lead by Ruby Rose!"

He couldn't see it, but he was sure Weiss' jaw dropped at the announcement, even as Yang tackled her stunned sister with a squeal of delight. Jaune smiled despite his exhaustion. If anyone deserved that honor, it was Ruby.

"And finally… Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, and Jaune Arc," he called, pulling him from his reverie. Jaune forced his protesting body forward, walking past the newly minted Team RWBY as they departed.

Throughout the ceremony, Headmaster Ozpin had remained solemn and stern, his face a mask of serenity behind the miniature spectacles and silvery hair. Now, though, he smiled at the four of them, acknowledging them with a nod as they lined up, partner to partner.

"The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you shall work together as Team JNPR," he informed them. "Lead by… Jaune Arc!"

Wait, _what!?_

Jaune stared as the man gestured him, completely missing Pyrrha's delighted look of amazement. "Lead by…?"

Ozpin nodded, looking pleased. "Congratulations, young man. You earned this."

Stunned as he was, Jaune was not ready for Pyrrha slugging him in the arm, knocking his sore ass over. The applause changed to laughter, even as Pyrrha helped him back up. Even Ozpin was chuckling, as he looked up to the screen proudly displaying Team JNPR to the rest of the students.

"Looks like things are shaping up to be an interesting year," he remarked.

 _That_ was the understatement of the century. _How am I supposed to lead a hunting team!?_ Jaune despaired. He no longer felt good about his accomplishment. He hadn't even had Aura until this afternoon, and now he was to lead a four-time Mistral Champion, a martial artist with machine guns, and a crazy redhead into battle with the creatures of Grimm?

He was so screwed. That rising thrill was coming back. Ozpin was still smiling as he returned his hand to his coat pocket, watching as the last new hunting Team departed from the stage.

In the adjoining hall, Jaune's worried thought processes completely derailed when he saw Weiss alone and leaning against the wall, armed crossed and foot tapping against the linoleum. She stood up when she caught sight of him, causing him to slow down his pace. He tried to give her his most charming smile as he sauntered over to her. "Waiting for someone, Snow Angel?"

"Snow A—what?" she sputtered, arching an eyebrow at him. "Oh, never mind. Look, Jaune… I just wanted to thank you for earlier. For the save."

His smile became a little more goofy and genuine at her expressed gratitude, and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Anytime. Fall like that again and I'll be sure to catch you."

She frowned. "Don't read into it," she warned him, but it wasn't enough to damper his mood. "I'll be sure to make us even again. Now… I have to go catch up to my team."

With that the heiress spun on her heels and departed, leaving Jaune alone in the hall with his teammates.

"She digs me," he said confidently.

"… sure," came Ren's response and Nora's giggle.

* * *

She stood alone in the hall, lost in silent contemplation before the crystalline altar.

The shattered moon was a baleful eye in the bloody sky, its light beating down at her lair. The candlelight flickered, casting shadows over her troubled countenance. In the badlands surrounding her abode, all was still, waiting with baited breath. Not even the creatures of Grimm stirred within the shadows, and the spawning pools were still, inky voids among the crags.

How had this come to pass?

She had expended vast amounts of power, put numerous plans into action to put a stop to this recurrence. And it was rendered all for naught, in the space of a single day. What had happened?

Her first thought was of that troublesome foe. Salem was certain that the man had long suspected what it is she had done to the population of the wretched world. He could prove nothing, of course, but he was cunning, and they had long since adapted to one another's ways. She was certain that the blame lay upon Ozpin for this latest transgression.

But how had he done it? Surely the pitiful schools he had created hadn't found him by mere chance. Had he been searching for him all these years?

Her hand tightened around the other, pressing the ring against her alabaster palm.

That he had returned was a concern of its own. Surely he was no threat at this early junction. If he had been found through his academy, then she knew him to be a rookie, something to snuff out with a suitable application of force.

And yet for all the Grimm's rage, he persisted.

Was he already marked? Did he understand the depths of what it meant? Was he aware of just what it was that bound them?

Her blackened eyes narrowed, her cracked face marred with vexation.

He would have to be eliminated. If he was not yet aware of what he was, all the more reason she needed to remove his existence from the world. The threat he could pose as Ozpin's pawn was too great. Old wounds began to sting from the fires of memory, and her hand clenched tighter.

Silently, she turned away from her shrine, turning the cold fury in her gaze upon the Seer that lay draped across the table. Its translucent flesh quivered under her glare, instinctively stilling beneath her hate.

The depths within it swirled, and the face of her pawn appeared across its surface. Her eyes were sharp, but concerned—instinctively, she knew that something was amiss with her matriarch.

"There has been a complication," she spoke.

The wheels of fate were already in motion, and the players were being arranged on the board.


	4. Paradigm

**Author's Note: Well, this took _entirely_ too long to get out. Set-up chapters are a pain-this wasn't one I was looking forward to, but it's out of the way and after this chapter, the real fun begins. This chapter was finished a few days ago, but I thought it best to hold off until everyone got their Avengers fix out of the way this weekend. Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 _Beta: Myareska  
_

 _"Cats are always cute, even the ones that'll rip your eyes out. Significantly less cute, but cute nonetheless._

* * *

RWBY

Pawn of Fate

CHAPTER FOUR:

Paradigm

"Jaune…! Jaune!"

The distant voice echoed through the haze. The floating came to an end as a weight settled in all around him. Darkness came, followed by the reddish hue of light.

"Jaune, wake up!"

The voice was soft, not quite whispering yet a far cry from conversational. The boy's eyes fluttered open, grit clawing at the caruncles until he rubbed it away. With clarity of sight achieved, he looked up to meet the green eyes of his partner standing over him. Morning light streamed in from an open window, letting in the sounds of chirping birds and wind-rustled leaves. He was comfortably warm beneath the covers of his bed, its weight inviting him to turn over and return to the dreamless sleep Pyrrha had roused him from.

"Are you awake now?" she asked, standing back up from where she hovered.

"Y-Yeah, I'm good," Jaune said, pushing himself up from the bed, lamenting his refusal of its siren song. Pyrrha stepped aside as he got to his feet, stretching, and made his way to the bathroom.

He paused after reaching the bathroom sink, marveling. He didn't hurt.

After being flung into a forest, pinned to a tree, nearly savaged by Grimm, and having literally rode a giant monster into the ground, he didn't hurt at all. He expected an ache in his muscles and bruises all over. Instead he woke feeling light and fresh for the day. His first day as a huntsman-in-training of Beacon Academy.

He shook the thoughts from his head, literally. He turned the faucet knob and ran his hands under the flow, slapping himself awake in full.

His hands recoiled with no sting, causing him to blink and stare at them.

"Oh, right, Aura," he muttered to himself. That was going to take some getting used to. No wonder he woke up feeling fine… he had it engaged all night while he slept.

 _Heh, this force-field thing is awesome_ , he celebrated. But how to turn it off? Nothing he had been told had covered that little detail…

"Not like I can ask for help though," he muttered. He could only rely on himself for this. Jaune took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He did his best to tune out the sounds, of the shuffling past the closed bathroom door and the thumping in the room across the hall. He breathed again, and let it out slowly. Deep within, he felt something release. Light crackled across his body, sweeping over his form and fading.

Jaune opened his eyes, seeing no apparent change in the mirror. "Did it work?" he asked himself. He slapped a wet hand against his cheek and flinched at the sting. "Yeah, that worked."

 _How the heck am I going to keep up this charade?_ He wondered. He splashed some more cold water on his face before turning the faucet off and drying his hands. With an idle thought about why the bathroom door was closed, he opened it back out. "Bathroom's free—"

His words died, strangled by his throat as he came face to face with the two redheads clad in only their underwear. "Whoa!" he yelped, slamming the door shut as the two of them shrieked.

"Wha—!?" came Ren's response through the door. It was followed by his yell of surprise and the thump of a body hitting the floor.

"Stop looking, Ren!" Nora howled.

Jaune's hand slapped against his face, even as the image of Nora's plain white and Pyrrha's lacey black was burned into his memory. Today was off to a _fantastic_ start.

* * *

If his first day as a proper student at Beacon was any indicator of how the next four years would play out for Jaune Arc, he had absolutely no idea how he was going to survive without something of a miracle. A miracle, or a deal with the devil. Whichever offered him the better outcome.

After a quick homeroom course that his team was nearly late for, they had begun with a fitness assessment and it had been all downhill from there. Jaune knew he was physically fit—there was no way he wouldn't be after the trek he had to make just to get to the city of Vale—but he was soon realizing just how far he still had to go. By the time they had finished, he found himself collapsing on the grass next to his partner, still standing. It was cold comfort that Ren joined him, looking as exhausted as Jaune felt. The girls looked annoyingly chipper, with Nora bouncing on her feet, ready for more.

"Ugh, it's back…"

Jaune picked his head up off the ground at the sound of Ruby's voice. She was staring upwards, shielding her eyes from the sun, and her cute face was sullied by a frown.

"What, your imaginary stalker?" Yang said.

Ruby glared at her. "I'm not imagining it! That bird really is following me around. Ugh, and I thought it'd leave me alone once I came here…"

"What bird?" Blake said. She craned her neck up to look. Jaune tried to see what the others were looking at, but saw just one far off avian circling overhead. Far too high up to identify properly.

"Yes, that one! That one follows me everywhere!"

"You must be imagining it," Weiss told her partner. "Unless it's a pet, there's no reason for a bird to actually follow you around."

"But it—oh, never mind!" Ruby exclaimed, kicking at the dirt. "No one believes me about the stupid bird…"

"You can't even see it from here, Rubes," Yang told her sister. "How would you even be able to tell it's the same one?"

"I just know it is!" came the whine of a reply.

"Attention, class!" Goodwitch's voice called out, cutting off all conversation at once. Sharing a look between them, the two collapsed boys pulled themselves up into a sitting position as their teacher spoke. "The next portion of your assessment begins now."

Hadn't Initiation been enough for her to gauge their abilities? Surely that whole ordeal hadn't been a waste of—

"For this next segment, you will be paired up against one another to determine your capability against human opponents," the Deputy Headmistress explained.

 _Oh_ , Jaune thought. _Oh please no…_

He and Ren rapidly got back on their feet as the pairings were decided. The would-be team leader soon realized that Goodwitch was deliberately ensuring they weren't facing any of their teammates for the coming sparring match, and he had to repress the urge to swallow nervously as his opponent was decided.

In the designated space, apart from the other students, Jaune pulled out Crocea Mors and settled into his defensive stance. Across from him, Blake Belladonna unsheathed her weird sword gun from the heavy cleaver she called a scabbard. The black ribbon attached to its grips trailed in the grass.

 _You can do this, Jaune,_ he told himself. _Just like last time! Apply Sword to Enemy's Face!_

Goodwitch called out for them to begin. In the blink of an eye, Blake crossed the distance, sword flashing toward his own face.

 _I am so screwed!_

* * *

Jaune collapsed onto the cafeteria table with a groan. Even the shower he took after class did little to alleviate the ache he felt all over. Never mind win against, how the hell was he supposed to fight a girl who could make clones of herself? And he thought fighting the Grimm was difficult… more and more he wondered why he thought faking his way into Beacon was a good idea.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha's voice shook him from his stupor.

"Huh?" The boy pushed himself up off of the table where he sat, looking at his partner. She was holding out a tray of food to him. "Oh! Thanks, Pyrrha."

She smiled in response before taking her seat opposite him at the end of the table. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked. "You weren't doing so well during the spar earlier."

Jaune repressed a wince. Pyrrha had seen his performance? "Yeah, I'm okay. Just not too used to fighting people," he told her. It wasn't a lie, at least. That hadn't been what he had signed up for anyway. He shook his head and sighed before reaching for his utensils. "I dunno how to beat afterimages though."

"Her Semblance was something else," Ren agreed as he sat next to Pyrrha. Jaune soon found Nora planting herself down next to her team leader, ignoring everything but the tray of food before her.

"Her Semblance?" Jaune remarked. The term sounded familiar.

"Yes. It's pretty amazing, seeing how everyone's Semblances function," Ren answered as he began cutting into his meal. "Every time you think you've seen the whole range, you meet someone like Blake…"

 _Right, the special power granted by the unlocking of Aura,_ Jaune thought, recalling the mention his father had made so long ago. It hadn't been a subject he'd bothered to cover…

Jaune's stomach rumbled, reminding him he was starving after getting his butt kicked. Shelving away his thoughts on how even the Semblance issue was going to be a problem for him going forward, he dug into his food, cutting off a chunk and bringing it to his mouth.

His eyes widened as he chewed on the morsel, and quickly swallowed it down. "They even serve c—"

His words were cut off by a hollow boom outside of the cafeteria that caused the entire population within to look up from their activities. Within moments Glynda Goodwitch stalked past their table, her expression stormy. Whoever was responsible for the blast, Jaune didn't envy them one bit.

He turned back to his team, who quickly got back to the topic on hand.

"Yes, they serve that at these combat schools," Pyrrha helpfully supplied for him. "The headmasters worked out an agreement with regional farmers where any of the meat left behind from a Grimm attack gets donated to the schools. Or so I've heard."

"So Grimm killed our food?" Jaune remarked, poking at it with a fork. "That's… kinda sad."

"You won't get that kind of food without it, though," Ren pointed out. "Best we enjoy it while we can."

"Right," Jaune said, digging in. Within a few minutes, he looked up as he heard footsteps. The first thing he saw was Ruby and Weiss walking past the table, trays in hand. The greeting he had for them died on his lips at the murderous expression on Weiss' face… never mind the soot covering both girls' uniforms. Blake and Yang followed close behind, trying their best not to snicker.

"Did you even read that pamphlet at all?" the heiress growled.

Ruby cringed. "It's not like we've had time since the other day…"

"I'm _so_ glad that our next classes are academic," Weiss grumbled, stabbing a carrot with a fork.

"I didn't mean to blow us up again!"

Team JNPR shared a look between them, and mutually they decided to stay out of that brewing mess. Nora had to stifle a giggle. "So what's our next class?" she asked of Ren.

"A class with Professor Port," he said, glancing at a scrap of paper. "About hunting the creatures of Grimm."

Jaune perked up at that. _That_ sounded like a class he'll have to pay attention to.

* * *

"… Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves!"

How could anyone pay attention to this?

"From what, you ask? Why, the very world!"

No one cheered. Jaune couldn't blame them. Professor Port was trying too hard to be charming and funny, and only the one person was buying it, judging by the sole whoop from the other end of the room. Everyone had turned to stare at the boy who made it, making him cower back in a second. Before long, the Professor had launched into a story of himself, both grandiose and boring as hell. Beside him, Pyrrha and Ren watched dutifully while Nora goofed off, scribbling something on her notes. He tried to pay attention, he really did.

He found his attention being pulled away to the table beside theirs, and the white-haired girl sitting in the middle of her team. It was difficult to steal glances of Weiss, her lithe form clad in that enticing academy uniform, that delightfully short tartan skirt, when Blake and Yang were both in the way. He let out a sigh, not noticing the glance Pyrrha gave him when she heard it.

Professor Port clearing his throat caused him to start, and for one brief moment of alarm thought he was in trouble for the sigh—but then saw him standing in front of Team RWBY at their table, and within moments he was speaking again.

"In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high. Celebrated, as a hero!"

Jaune stared incredulously as the man bowed. _He_ captured _a Beowolf?_ He could scarcely believe it, after the mind-numbingly awful story the man had concocted. What did he miss?

The boy blinked as the man finished speaking again, and Weiss' hand shot up into the air as she exclaimed. "I do, sir!"

"She sounds pissed," Nora murmured.

"Well then, let's find out," he said, glancing aside at the metal cage beside him that just rattled, a menacing growl following it. "Step forward and face your opponent!"

Jaune was staring once more. _When did that get there!?_

Not too long later, Weiss was standing out on the lecture hall floor, clad in her white dress, Myrtenaster held at the ready in her left hand. Jaune wanted to cheer her on, like her teammates. But as Weiss turned to snap at Ruby, his eyes were glued onto the cage at the other end of the room, and the baleful growling that was coming from inside it. The events of the previous day were still fresh on his mind.

With his axe in hand, Professor Port spoke aloud. "Let the match… _begin!_ "

The weapon swept down, sheering the padlock and latch right off the cage. The door to it was immediately smashed off of the rest of the cage. Weiss sidestepped the dented metal as it went sailing by, her sword held up defensively as some armored monstrosity of a pig launched out of the cage at her. Jaune's eyes followed Weiss' somersault out of the charge, her blade swiping out across the Grimm's hide.

It squealed and snorted, diverting its course and skidding to a halt at the other end of the room. Hooves clopping against the linoleum, the Boarbatusk swung its tusks back around to face Weiss.

Four bloody eyes locked onto him.

"Oh no," came his dismayed response.

The squeal it loosed was nearly painful to listen to. The monster leaped into, curling in on itself and spun. The wheel of death launched as it hit the ground. Weiss dove away with a startled cry. Wooden shrapnel tore through the air as the Grimm smashed into the first table. Jaune's vision was dominated by a blurring mass of white, black and red.

Pyrrha's foot crashed into his side. The Grimm passed through the air where his head had been, smashing into the table behind him. Shouts erupted through the classroom as he hit the floor.

The Grimm raged as it smashed apart the remainder of the table with the desk. With another squeal it charged once more at Jaune. His Aura sprang up around in response. Moments later the beast was upon him. In a desperate gamble Jaune grabbed hold of the tusks trying to gore him. Its horrid breath assaulted his senses. It burned at his face, like desert heat, leaving his eyes watering. His nose prickled at the stench of meat left out in the sun to rot. Sharp hooves smashed at his legs and abdomen as it flailed about wildly. He could barely make out the sounds in the classroom over the enraged snarls of the Boarbatusk.

"—ha ha! Quite the plot twist—"

"—the hell!? It's—"

"Jaune!"

"—go for its belly, Weiss, it's—"

Ruby's voice stood out from the rest. Hearing her suggestion for Weiss, he twisted, wrenching the incensed beast's head to the side. The squeals got louder as a hoof slammed down hard on his knee. With a shout, he twisted it over, and the beast fell onto its side, flailing its legs uselessly.

Weiss' sword slammed home through its heart not a moment later.

There was a moment of silence as the thing shuddered and expired. It wasn't until Professor Port spoke that Weiss withdrew her blade.

"Bravo, bravo!" came the congratulations of their teacher as Jaune took Weiss' offered hand. "A fine demonstration of teamwork between huntresses and huntsmen in training!"

Weiss stared incredulously at the claim before her expression hardened. Jaune saw the angry look she shot at her partner, who flinched at the sight of it. _What's going on between them?_ he wondered.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today," Professor Port continued. "Be sure to cover the assigned readings… and stay vigilant! Class dismissed!"

Weiss stormed off before Jaune could thank her for the save, snatching up her belongings without a word given to her teammates.

"You okay?" Pyrrha asked, coming up beside him.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," he told her. "Think I need a minute to catch my breath."

She nodded as he grabbed his things and made his way out of the lecture hall. Professor Port gave him a satisfied nod as the boy walked by.

* * *

Frustration welled up inside her.

A moment to prove herself better than the utter _child_ leading her team, gone to waste thanks to the Grimm still having it out for Jaune Arc. And Professor Port ended up thinking that Ruby's one suggestion was her trying to aid in teamwork? It was a coincidence, nothing more! Right!?

Weiss couldn't understand why Professor Ozpin had thought it a good idea to bring someone like that into the school, let alone put her as a team leader of huntresses. That lack of understanding gave way to frustration, creating anger and resentment towards the spritely girl in the red cloak. Holding in her bitterness, the heiress marched out onto the rooftop terrace of Beacon. The light of sunset shone down on the her, and she blinked as the light struck her eyes, making her grumble as she rubbed at them with a fist.

"Weiss?"

The girl stopped short at the familiar voice. Blinking the light from her eyes, she realized that she wasn't alone on the terrace.

"Jaune?"

The boy looked up from the bench, brightening considerably from the tired expression he had a moment before. "Hey, Snow Angel."

She frowned. "Don't call me that."

He let out an embarrassed laugh at that, scratching the back of his head before speaking again. "So, um, thanks for saving back there. That was a close call…"

"Oh! Of course," Weiss told him, letting her hand rest on her hip. "I promised you that I would return the favor."

"Yeah… didn't think you'd pay it back so soon," Jaune chuckled.

Her curiosity got the better of her. "Tell me. Why do they keep coming after you?" she asked, taking a seat on the far end of the bench he sat upon. "Yesterday they kept coming after you even though there were eight of us."

He shrugged uncomfortably. "I have no idea. Ever since I saw that first one in the forest they all went crazy," Jaune told her. "After today… I don't think yesterday was a fluke."

"… I guess not," Weiss said. "But at least you're prepared for it. You did well, keeping your cool back there."

"I was just trying to keep it off me," he admitted. "If it weren't for you and Ruby…"

"Ruby?" She grimaced. "What does she have to do with this?"

"She told you to go for its belly, didn't she? I heard that and tried to make it an easier target for you."

Weiss scoffed, folding her arms beneath her breasts as she glanced away. "Merely a coincidence," she snapped. "I had everything under control already. She's just going to get in the way."

"… what do you have against her?" Jaune asked.

"She's just a child! She's supposed to be my team's leader and all she's done is been a problem!" Weiss fumed. She launched to her feet once more before spinning to face Jaune. "Her _brightest_ idea was to ride on the talons of a Nevermore, she made me set fire to the Emerald Forest, and she's blown me up twice!

"I studied and trained to get where I am!" she continued, raising and clenching her fist. "You and I did, all of us did… and the Headmaster just… skips ahead some child and puts her at the head of a team!? I don't deserve this!"

She let her fist drop, eyes closed in frustration. "He had to have made a mistake, Jaune."

"Did he?" Jaune challenged. She opened her eyes again, silently demanding a continuation.

"He's the Headmaster, right? He's been doing this for a long time," he continued. He broke his gaze away from hers, clasping his hands together while leaning forward. "You said Pyrrha's a four time champion."

"Yes. And?" Weiss asked, wondering where he was going with this.

"So why did he make me the leader for JNPR?" he asked aloud. "I saw her yesterday, I don't hold a candle to her. So why isn't she team leader?"

"I… I don't know," Weiss said. It was odd, wasn't it? But Jaune had done well for himself the other day…

"Best bet is that there's a reason he chose me. Maybe there's something I need to learn," the boy continued. "And maybe it's the same with Ruby."

"Precisely, Mr. Arc!"

Weiss and Jaune both started at the interruption. The heiress turned on her heel to face the newcomer. The man at the entrance was a tall fellow, towering above Weiss even more than Jaune could. His lanky frame, clad in an unassuming button-down shirt and slacks, was capped with a shock of wild green hair permanently affixed in a blast-back. She couldn't tell the color of his eyes, hidden as they were behind opaque spectacles.

Her eyes could scarcely keep up with him when he moved, a green and white blur across the terrace, coming to a halt before the seated boy. Jaune let out a yelp of surprise as he tumbled off the bench onto his rear.

"Yes, rather astute of you to zero in on this one aspect of your partnerships!" the man said, speaking in a rush as Jaune clumsily got back to his feet. "Many of your peers will not consider the ramifications of how they are arranged in their teams."

The man turned on the spot to face Weiss, bringing up a glass to his lips to drink. "It's dreadfully apparent that you however have reached a conclusion without trying to understand the outcome," he said after lowering it. "Jumping to conclusions is only ever acceptable when you jump to the right one, Miss Schnee."

"I… it's just, professor…?" Weiss stammered, put off by the teacher's unusual behavior. Who _is_ this guy?

"Doctor!" he exclaimed. "Doctor Oobleck, thank you."

Weiss blinked. This was the teacher for their next class?

"Young lady I must ask, why do you seek out the role of leader?" he asked, looking down at her expectantly.

"I—I never said that I did!" she yelled.

"Yet you feel as though you should be in her place, given the nature of your criticism," he retorted.

"Well, yes!" Weiss admitted. The frustration she had simmered within was boiling back up to the surface. "How could I _not_ after what I've experienced? I am a Schnee! Leadership is in my blood! Seeing someone so reckless in the position is… it's galling!"

"Is your birthright so great that you would rebel against official decree?"

Weiss opened her mouth, but the words died in her throat.

"Suffice to say it, your ambition is clouding your judgment," Doctor Oobleck continued. He turned, gesturing to both students with his cup. "Each leader chosen by this academy is learning as any other. Within them lie virtues to be instilled, and to be cultivated! Virtues that will enable them to lead their comrades to victory."

Weiss saw Jaune tear his gaze away from their teacher, his face ponderous.

"This is a school for huntsmen and huntresses," the professor told them. "Think more on what that means."

"I… I will, Doctor," Weiss said. Her voice wavered as she tried to take in what he meant.

"Yeah, same here," Jaune said.

With a nod to the two of them, he sped off in a white and green blur, causing Weiss' skirt to flutter in the wake. The two remained in silence for a moment's time.

Jaune was the first to break it. "That was weird."

"Yeah," Weiss agreed. She glanced back at the taller boy, then towards the door once more and sighed.

"Something up?" Jaune asked.

"I've been such a fool," she admitted. "Why didn't I realize it sooner?"

She was a Schnee. She had a legacy to uphold, duties to fulfill as the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. She was supposed to be someone to look up to, an example to her peers. And the grade-skipping Ruby Rose couldn't be any exception to that, no matter how much her behavior grated at her sensibilities…

How childish.

If her partner wasn't yet at the level of a leader, then it was up to her to make her one.

"Well the last couple of days have kinda sucked," Jaune pointed out. Weiss agreed.

"How much time do we have before our next class?" she asked.

"Um… not a whole lot," Jaune said, looking at his slate Scroll. He closed it back up. "We better get going to class."

"Right," Weiss said as they headed back inside. "I'll talk to Ruby later then…"

They reached the end of the hall and Jaune swerved the other way. Weiss blinked and called to him. "Where are you going? Doctor Oobleck's class is the other way!"

"Yeah, but… my sword's in the other," he called over his shoulder.

"… oh. That's probably a good idea for you," she admitted, remembering what happened in their previous class.

* * *

The days passed on by in Beacon Academy. Students learned, blades clashed, tempers flared. Three more times the Deputy Headmistress had to step in and help repair campus facilities. Four more times Professor Port brought in a live Grimm to his class, resulting in chaos as the beasts prioritized ending Jaune Arc's life over that of any other student present. All in all, life was, for the time being, normal. As normal life had ever been for Ozpin, at any rate.

Glynda stood behind the desk in his office, as four windows were arrayed across the panoramic screen, each containing a profile of a student: Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Jaune Arc. He drank his coffee while listening intently as his Deputy Headmistress gave him her evaluations of the lot of anomalies.

"… for the most part, the teething issues between Miss Rose and Miss Schnee are finally dying down. They both look to be taking the advice given to them to heart… save for the occasional explosion," Glynda said, grimacing at that last. Ozpin hid his grin behind his cup. "As for their physical capabilities… Miss Rose has a long ways to go. While her scythe is certainly formidable, she's hopeless without it, as we saw when Cardin Winchester deprived her of it."

Ozpin remembered the footage. Not only had the lad disarmed her, his counterblow had hurled her from the ring entirely, aided along by Ruby's instinctive usage of her Semblance. That would be a difficult habit to break her of… especially when her real strengths lay outside of her weapon.

"Miss Schnee, on the other hand, demonstrates excellent swordsmanship and is well versed in Dust magic, just as we'd expect from her line," she continued. "It's only marred by her mediocre strength and stamina. She'll definitely need to rely on her teammates in battle until she can correct those deficiencies."

"No doubt that you have it under control on that front," Ozpin told her as he turned in his seat to face Weiss' profile. "Unfortunately, there still hasn't been any clear indication, has there?"

"None so far, no," Glynda said. "Time will tell."

"You're right. Now, our last two students…"

Glynda sighed as Ozpin focused on the last girl in the group.

"Short of an actual confession or criminal investigation into her background, I'm certain that her name is not a coincidence," she said. The woman brought a hand to her temple, closing her eyes as she rubbed at it. "Physically she resembles the two of them. She keeps to herself, for all the efforts of her partner."

"But what's the real reason she troubles you?" Ozpin prodded. He knew Glynda, knew how her mind worked.

"… she's well trained in the art of combat. Her weapon is unorthodox, but there's no denying the skill she has with such a complicated weapon. The problem is that the way she fights is not one meant for fighting Grimm."

"It's not?"

"No. In the few exercises we've had involving Grimm, her capabilities there are average. Her skill makes up for it, but her capabilities are far more suited for fighting men." She gestured to the monitor, bringing up Blake's records so far. "As you can see, her capabilities in sparring matches against the other students is nothing short of exceptional. Rather few have bested her."

"I see. So you suspect that she's part of the White Fang," Ozpin deduced. He set his mug down as Glynda nodded.

"She's more than capable of fighting men, carries feline traits in her appearance, and matches up with the physical traits of the Belladonna couple. Ozpin, I'm certain that she's a Faunus agent of the White Fang. What I don't know is why she's here."

"Perhaps it's as simple as someone trying to escape," Ozpin mused. He was focusing on her name listed in the file. "She has not tried to hide who she is. While she may not be known to the world at large, I'm certain she's aware that anyone familiar with the White Fang could trace her parentage back to Menagerie."

"Be as that may, I do not feel comfortable taking such chances," said the Deputy Headmistress, with her arms folded beneath her bosom. "If she wishes to escape from a terrorist organization, all the better—but that could just as well cause trouble for the Academy down the line."

"We're in agreement on that," Ozpin admitted. "We'll need to keep a close eye on her for now. Just be sure you and the others are discreet—it wouldn't do to get her back up on the matter, especially if she's here with good intentions."

"Of course, Headmaster."

"And now for Mr. Arc," Ozpin said, closing down the profiles of the three girls and bringing his front and center. "I hope you have good news for me here."

The Headmaster caught Glynda's wince. Idly he brought his mug up to his lips as she spoke.

"I'm afraid there's little I can report in that vein," she admitted. "Sir, Jaune Arc is not someone fit for this school."

She brought up his records, and a video began playing on the screen. Ozpin watched as the boy squared up against Yang Xiao Long. The boy looked unsure of himself as he readied his weapon, keeping his shield out in front. In contrast the daughter of Taiyang was confident, full of energy, and impatient, tapping the toe of her boot against the floor before mechashifting her weapons around her hands.

She snapped them back with a bang and closed the gap in an instant. Jaune's shield barely came up in time to tank the first blow. He staggered under the second. Yang skidded to a halt as she killed the momentum from the charge. She launched herself again at him. Jaune's face contorted with the effort of blocking her strike. His sword came up and flashed out at her face. It was an awkward strike, one with little skill guiding it that Ozpin could see.

Yang ducked beneath the blow and rolled away. Jaune lunged forward at the opening, blade stabbing forward. It was easy for Yang to sidestep. Ozpin took a sip as her counter struck him hard across the cheek, sending him sprawling to the floor. He was only back up on one knee before the brawler was on him once more. Crocea Mors was batted aside and her uppercut struck his chin.

His lack of ability was readily apparent when it came to fighting human opponents. Ozpin set his mug down as Glynda continued to speak.

"There's absolutely no excuse for his inability to fight his peers. He has trouble discerning their attacks, and he rarely keeps an eye on his Aura levels, so he rarely knows when to attack or back off," she said. She watched with a sigh as Yang ended the battle by smashing him into the floor, his body settling beneath the shattered tiles as errant strands of yellow-gold hair drifted through the air from his last attack. "There's no combat school that would let him pass at that level of ability."

"Yet he did well enough against the Grimm when they were out for his blood," Ozpin mused. "Well enough to survive."

"He shows initiative, and he shows promise when it comes to tactics. Physically he's fit," Glynda listed off his positive traits. "But none of it is on the level we'd expect for an entrant in this school, especially one who's graduated from a combat school."

"Very well then," Ozpin said, shifting in his seat. "I'll look into it."

* * *

Over twenty days had passed during Jaune's enrollment at Beacon Academy before things finally came to a head.

It had started like any other. Nora's antics the night before had kept Team JNPR up far longer than necessary, and they were nearly late to their morning classes again. Pyrrha had been eager to assert her dominance over the rest of the class, for all her downplaying of it. Jaune hadn't been looking forward to getting demolished in the ring again. And that hadn't changed. He could still hear the jeers from Team CRDL as he suffered yet another loss in the ring, and Pyrrha's condolences had felt hollow to him.

Cardin proved himself an ass once more during the lunch break, harassing a rabbit-eared second-year much like he had been doing to Jaune in the days before, though he tried to deny it to his friends. Yet his denials couldn't even convince himself.

The strain of living this lie was taking its toll on him, physically and mentally. It was all he could do to survive against the rampaging Grimm whenever Professor Port brought one into class, and it was all he could do to stay awake when he didn't. His classmates could outlast him in the ring, when they weren't blasting away his Aura reserves in frighteningly quick succession. By the time Doctor Oobleck's lessons rolled around, more often than not Jaune found himself asleep.

"Legends!"

Like he was just then, as he jolted awake at the lecture table.

"Stories scattered through time!" Doctor Oobleck exclaimed to the class, zipping around to and fro throughout his untidy lecture hall. "Yes, over the centuries we have grown fond of recounting and archiving the exploits of heroes and villains! However, class, we must always remember these stories are remnants of our history!"

Jaune shifted in his seat as Oobleck zipped by, coming to a halt close to his table to drink from his glass before zipping away once more. "Rarely are the tales of our youth a complete fabrication!" he continued, arriving at his desk. "In fact I'd wager that those we think to be wholly from the realm of fairy tales are just another lost remnant of our ancestors' ancient culture! Tell me, which among you knows the tale that many theorists believe to have been a regime-shifting political event?"

To Jaune's surprise, it was Pyrrha's hand that went into the air, as did Weiss.

In a blink of an eye Oobleck was standing in front of Pyrrha's table, causing the notes on the desk to flutter, held down only by the students writing upon them. "Yes?"

"The Girl in the Tower," Pyrrha said, meeting the gaze of his opaque glasses easily.

"Precisely!"

Doctor Oobleck sped off for the other side of the lecture hall, going over a brief outline of the old fairy tale. Jaune sighed, slouching sideways on the desk as he fought back another yawn. His gaze was one of the few that did not trail after Oobleck as he zoomed about.

"… and so removed from her world by the tyrant, she…"

 _What does any of this have to do with fighting Grimm, anyway?_ he wondered. He continued to listen to the lecture half-heartedly.

"… relying on this single agent to alter her fate, she gave…"

Jaune felt his eyes start to close. _What a drag…_

"… given the specifics we know of, why, why it stands to reason that this particular tale has roots in our history!" Oobleck gestured wildly with his pointer. "If you were to look at this from the angle of a coup, perhaps, one could shed light on what really transpired. Would anyone like to hazard a guess as to why he imprisoned the girl?"

Something with a pointed edge clipped Jaune's ear, startling him awake. "Hey!" he yelped, hand clapping over his ear.

"Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! Excellent, this is _excellent!_ What is your theory?"

Oobleck was beside him so abruptly that Jaune was halfway out of seat, left hand drawing his sword, before he realized it wasn't another Grimm after his head. He sat back down with a miserable sigh, wishing his heart rate would go down.

 _This school is gonna get me killed_.

"My theeeory… ummm…" he tried to drag it out. What was that stupid tale about again? Mom liked to tell it to them when they were children…

Past the professor, he spotted his partner making motions with her hands behind the man's back.

"Is… that…" What was she doing…?

Squinting, trying real hard not to feel guilty about how Doctor Oobleck's eyes bored into him behind those opaque spectacles, Jaune tried to discern Pyrrha's motions. _She's… opening something?_ he thought, seeing her lifting back the lid of an imaginary box. She made a motion of pulling something out of it.

"… she… had something he wanted!" he said aloud.

There was a moment of silence before Oobleck sighed and turned away. "Well, you're on the right track, at least," he admitted aloud, zipping off to behind his desk. Jaune let out a sigh as the teacher turned his attention elsewhere—namely the snickering behind him.

"How about you, Cardin? You seem to think you know the answer."

"Obviously it's whatever she gave that _animal_ helping her," he sneered.

Blake and Pyrrha both shot Cardin a disgusted glare. "You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?" Pyrrha coldly inquired.

"What, you got a problem?" he shot back.

"No, I know a better answer," she said, turning back to the professor. "Like Jaune said, she had something her captor wanted: resources."

Weiss spoke up behind them as Oobleck nodded. "If the person in the tale was the ruler of a nation, then that itself would outweigh the value of any singular trinket," she said matter-of-factly. "Materials, food, money, production, _any_ of it would be a greater advantage for someone trying to depose a leader."

The heiress glanced down at Cardin disdainfully. "Perhaps it'd be wise if the heirs of prominent Valean families read up on such practices, lest it happen to them," she remarked scornfully.

With a snarl Cardin rose from the table, glaring up at Weiss, who met his gaze coolly.

"Mr. Winchester, please take your seat," Oobleck warned. "See me after class for additional readings."

Cardin sat back down with an audible huff as Jaune snickered. It'd been good to see the bully put in his place for once, and at Weiss' hands made it even sweeter. He missed the glare Cardin leveled at him.

"Moving on!" Oobleck zoomed across class once more…

* * *

"… be sure to cover the material through pages twenty-eight to fifty tonight!" Oobleck said in closing. "Dismissed!"

Jaune was in the middle of gathering his things when pain exploded in his forehead. His face bounced off of the table where he clutched at it, stars in his eyes as Cardin strode past on his way to Oobleck's desk, smirking over his shoulder. Frustrated and tired, Jaune could only glare back as he switched his Aura on to take care of the bruise.

Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder as he left the class. "You okay?"

"I'll break his legs for you," Nora offered, still smiling even as she glared through the door at Cardin, now being lectured by Oobleck. "It'd be easy, he'd never see me coming."

"No, it's fine," he waved her off. She was already moving to the door, and Ren had to grab her by the collar. Jaune sighed, rubbing at the sore spot.

"Nora, you'd need to get Magnhild for that first," Pyrrha pointed out. Ren glared at her betrayal as Nora's eyes lit up in revelation. The bubbly redhead bolted down the hall towards the lockers, with the other boy yanked off his feet in the process. "I'm sorry!" she called out to Ren.

"We're so getting in trouble for that," Jaune remarked. His partner grinned bashfully in return.

The boy turned away to leave when he felt Pyrrha grab him by the arm. "Hey, I've got an idea. Come with me," she said as she pulled.

"AAUHA!"

Down the alabaster halls and up the spiraling stairs Pyrrha hauled him until they finally came through the rooftop door and outside. Jaune was met with a rush of cold air as he took in the night sky above Beacon. He could hear the faint chirping of crickets out past the school grounds as they walked out to the edge of the building. Ahead of them, he could see the green lights of the CCT glowing, pushing away the dark.

He grimaced as he looked out at it. "Pyrrha, I know I'm going through a hard time right now, but…" he glanced down over the edge of the building. "I'm not _that_ depressed…"

"Wha—n-no!" she yanked him back away from it, looking aggrieved at his insinuation. "That's not why I brought you up here!"

A chilly breeze picked up, fluttering at his partner's skirt. She ignored any discomfort she might've felt. "Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class, and that you're still not the strongest of fighters, so…" she took a deep breath as he waited, working up her courage. She let it out with a smile. "I want to help you!"

"W-what?"

"We can train up here after class, where no one can bother us!"

Jaune looked at the ground, frustration starting to well up in him again. He should've realized this was going to happen. "You think I need help?" he asked quietly, scratching at the back of his head. _Of course she does… I'm the only fraud going to this school…_

She hesitated as she raised her hand up before letting it drop. "N-No, that's not what I meant!" she backtracked.

"But you _just_ said it."

"Jaune, everyone needs a little push from time to time!" she urged, unable to meet his eyes. He looked away, guilty. "It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us! You made it to _Beacon_ , that speaks volumes of what you're capable of!"

The guilt was too much. Here she was, this four-time champion huntress praising him for abilities he never possessed. He turned his back to her, disgusted at himself. "You're wrong," he said, sighing. "I-I don't belong here."

"… that's a terrible thing to say, of course you do."

Angrily he rounded on her, slashing his hand down. "No, I don't!" he snapped. Pyrrha recoiled at his ire, looking hurt, and the anger drained from him with another sigh. "Pyrrha, I wasn't—"

He cut off as the door behind Pyrrha opened up, its hinges squealing. Pyrrha glanced behind her, then whirled about at who stepped through the threshold.

Glynda Goodwitch stared passively at the two of them. Jaune felt himself go cold under it, realizing just how close he was to revealing something damning to Pyrrha.

"Is something the matter, Miss. Goodwitch?" Pyrrha asked politely, a hint of confusion in her voice.

"Miss Nikos, I have to ask that you return to your dorm room for the time being," Glynda said, causing the redhead to start. The huntress turned her gaze to him. "Mr. Arc, your presence is required in the Headmaster's office. Please come with me."

Jaune swallowed nervously as Pyrrha protested. "W-What's going on? Did something happen?"

"That is not your concern. Come now, Mr. Arc."

The boy's feet felt full of lead as he stepped past Pyrrha. He tried to give her a convincing smile as he stepped past. "I'll be fine, Pyrrha," he told her. She didn't look convinced. He didn't sound it either.

He gave her one last look as he entered the building before the door closed behind them. He didn't dare say a word to her as she escorted him out the building and across the grounds, into the CCT. The entire building was deathly silent at this hour, and soon the only sounds being made was the machinery of the elevator as it ascended the two of them up to the Headmaster's office.

The doors opened, and they both stepped out into the dim room. Off to the side, Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck stood side by side, the former with his hands clasped behind his back, the latter sipping from a cup of coffee.

Professor Ozpin sat behind his desk, and he sat up straighter as he caught sight of them. Behind him, all of Beacon Academy loomed outward, blanketed by the dark of night. None of that caught Jaune's attention.

The arrayed papers of his transcript spread out across the desk had captured all of his attention.

"Ah, Mr. Arc," Ozpin greeted cordially. He gestured to a seat in front of the desk. "Why don't you take a seat."

 _Oh… shit_.

* * *

 **Author's Note: With any luck, updates after this chapter will come sooner, now that RWBY's canon's major involvement is over.**


	5. Paradigm Shift

**Author's Note: I have _got_ to stop timing my chapter completions to the release of highly-anticipated superhero movies. As promised, here's the next chapter out after a much shorter amount of time than the previous update. Hope you all enjoy the mysteries I've set up. I'm eager to hear what you think of them in your reviews.**

* * *

 _Beta: Myareska_

 _"Running out of new fish to catch, time to advance the story."_

* * *

RWBY  
Pawn of Fate

CHAPTER FIVE:  
Paradigm Shift

It was all crashing down around Jaune's head.

 _He knows!_

The transcripts laid out across the desk may very well have been a death sentence for the aspiring huntsman. True, the lifestyle had been rapidly eroding at him. The sweat, the pain, the humiliation, the frustration; but, for all of the hardship, this was the path he had chosen. He had wanted to be a hero. Like his father, and his grandfather, and the other ancestral warriors in his line. He wanted to prove himself. Now it was all being torn away.

Jaune collapsed into the proffered seat, defeated. He couldn't meet Ozpin's gaze. He felt those of his teachers boring into him from the side. All he could do was look at the damning papers on the desk. The gloom of the dimly-lit chamber felt like it was weighing down on him as the consequences became apparent.

"I trust you know why you're here," Ozpin said. Jaune nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "You know that my transcripts are fake."

"Entering a huntsman academy under false pretenses and without any training was a reckless decision," Ozpin's tone was conversational. "This way of life always has its dangers, but you put yourself at even greater risk than your peers."

"I know," Jaune said. His voice was small.

"Then my next question is why you would go to such lengths and put yourself in this kind of danger," Ozpin continued. Jaune finally looked up, meeting his gaze as he spoke. "There are no shortcuts to power and glory. A Semblance will make you neither unstoppable nor invincible. Being in the right place at the right time will mean nothing without ability to make use of.

"Why did you not join one of the various combat schools and learn?" Ozpin asked. "You managed to survive the Initiation, so clearly you were determined enough."

Jaune sighed. There was only one point he could start at, wasn't there?

"I just… I just wanted to be a hero," He began, "ever since I was a child I loved the tales my mother told me of my family line! I wanted to be like them. To be worth something, to make a difference."

"All the more reason to enroll in a combat school, don't you think?" Ozpin pointed out.

"It's not like I didn't try," Jaune refuted. "Believe me, I made the attempt. My parents… my parents didn't want me to put myself at risk. They said it'd be too much for someone with my condition."

"What condition?" Goodwitch interjected. "Far as anyone's seen, you're perfectly healthy."

They were never going to believe this.

"My dad tried to unlock my Aura and he couldn't," Jaune revealed, looking her way. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "Every time he tried, nothing would happen."

"What?" came her incredulous response. She was staring hard at him, looking for the lie in his body language and finding none. "But you clearly have your Aura unlocked now. I've seen you use it in class."

"Yeah, I know. It freaks me out too," he said. Jaune turned his gaze back to Ozpin, who looked calm in the face of the news. "It's… it's actually the main reason I came here. Without Aura I couldn't be the hero I wanted to be, so who better to help figure out the problem than huntsman and huntresses, right?"

"One would argue that a better course of action would be to see a doctor or a scientist," Ozpin responded. "But then again, I get the feeling you already have." Jaune nodded.

"Matters of the soul are hardly understood as it is," Oobleck spoke up, stepping over to the lad to look him once over. "It's unlikely that we would know the answer you seek any more than a scientist would, Mr. Arc. There's more to this that you're not telling us."

"I… look, I figured if you guys could do something about my Aura problem, maybe I could get in and be trained!" Jaune admitted. He pressed on, his frustration leaking through to the teachers present. "My family didn't mind me becoming a huntsman, until dad failed to unlock my Aura, and after all the time spent trying to find out why… I was running out of time. I was gonna miss the cutoff date for enrollment to these schools."

He hung his head in shame. "So I saved up a bunch of money from cutting grass and playing the guitar, got my hands on some fake transcripts, and I lied my way into Beacon," he said miserably, revealing the secret he almost told Pyrrha about. "I lied because I was afraid that even if you did figure out my problem I wouldn't be allowed to become a hero."

Professor Port burst out laughing. Everyone looked over at the rotund huntsman. Jaune's offense and incredulity shone on the boy's face.

"Ha ha ha!" With a smile that stretched below his mustache, the man spoke. "Jaune, my boy, transcripts don't make a hero! You need strength, prudence, fortitude! Do you think flimsy papers like that will grant you those traits?"

"Uh… no," Jaune remarked. "But I still felt like I needed to come here, and they were my ticket in."

"Yet you never approached us about this supposed Aura issue, which you've apparently cured yourself of," Glynda said, arms folded beneath her breasts, her skepticism clear.

Jaune winced. "I… I didn't know how without blowing my cover," the boy explained to them. "What kind of huntsman in training comes to Beacon without their Aura unlocked, right? And… well, I did get a little distracted by everything here."

From laying eyes on Weiss that first time, to coming to Ruby's aid and making his first friend on campus, to the panic he felt when Professor Ozpin addressed the students for the first time. The problem with his Aura had been the last thing on his mind, until that dreadful moment on the cliffs.

"So what changed?" Ozpin prodded at him, his tone light and conversational. Heartened by the lack of condemnation in his voice, Jaune continued on.

"I… I don't really know what happened. Down there in the forest, when that first Grimm came at me, it hit me," he told the Headmaster, lifting up his gloved right hand. The metal plate on it had been replaced, but the evidence of the blow he took was there in how he had stitched the leather back together. "After that Beowolf hit me, my Aura unlocked on its own."

Jaune grimaced. "And the Grimm have been going crazy around me ever since."

The teachers off to the side began to murmur to one another, causing Jaune to look over at them. Their tones were ponderous—did they know something he didn't?

Looking over at his teachers as he was, he missed the look of triumph that flashed across the Headmaster's face.

"Your circumstances are quite unlike any other," he spoke up, dragging Jaune's attention back to him. "Most people have never heard of someone unlocking their Aura spontaneously."

His curiosity got the better of him. "There've been others?" asked Jaune.

"Just one other," Ozpin revealed, his tone noncommittal. "Her circumstances were also rather unique."

Jaune swallowed, his mouth feeling dry. Part of him felt unnerved as Ozpin deigned not to elaborate further. With his hands steepled together, the Headmaster leaned forward on his desk, staring right at him. "With your circumstance known, we still have one last matter to attend to. Mr. Arc… Jaune. The level of your abilities as a warrior is not up to par with what is expected here at Beacon Academy."

Jaune was unable to meet Ozpin's gaze any longer, and he looked down at his lap. His hands clenched tight on his jeans, waiting for the verdict.

"However, as it stands, you have managed to survive and complete our Initiation. You did not shy away from battle, or hide from the enemy—rather, you have faced tougher opponents than most would have that day," Ozpin continued. Jaune looked up, uncertain as to where he was going with it, and not quite believing what he was hearing. "Though your transcripts are fake, the waiver you signed with them is legally binding. You knew the risks when you came to this school and have overcome them."

Jaune started as Ozpin unlatched his hand from the other and collected the papers before him, placing them aside. "As it stands, you have earned your place here at the Academy."

 _What?_

"What?" he repeated aloud. "You're… you're not kicking me out?"

Ozpin nodded, and the tension drained from Jaune's body. "While you could say that it is out of sympathy to your plight, in truth, we can ill afford to lose promising huntsman candidates at this point," the Headmaster continued. "No matter what our world seems to be like on the surface, we will always be in need of those who can protect it."

"But… I'm just not that good," Jaune pointed out.

"True. As it stands we cannot allow your current level of skill to remain that way," Ozpin agreed. He nodded over to the three teachers present. "We will arrange a training regime for you, one that will get your skills to the level of your peers in short order."

Jaune blinked. They were going that far for him? "Really?"

"Take heed, though. This will be no easy task for you, Jaune," came Ozpin's warning. "We will have to go well beyond the degree we allow for our students. It will be intense, and it will pile onto the curriculum. Your free time will effectively cease to be. But I assure you, through it, no one will doubt that you are a huntsman."

The boy swallowed nervously and nodded. "O-Okay," he accepted, voice breaking. "What… what happens if I don't make the cut?"

Ozpin arched an eyebrow at him. "Suffice to say, Mr. Arc, that is no longer an option afforded to you. You were terrified of the consequences of your actions, and you were despairing at the loss of your dream before this," he pointed out to the boy. "Now that we are offering this opportunity, one way or another… we will make you a huntsman."

"I… yeah, you're right," Jaune said after a moment, looking earnestly at Ozpin. "I don't want to fail."

Ozpin nodded, satisfied. "We will take some time to determine the best course of action for your new training," he explained to the boy sitting across from him. "We will allow you one week to prepare for your new training. During that time, I suggest that you focus on your studies, listen to your teachers… and, perhaps, explain your circumstances to your teammates. I believe you owe them that much."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right," Jaune said. He thought of them, of his supporting partner Pyrrha, of rambunctious Nora - quick to defend him from Cardin - and of quiet Ren, always keeping the lot of them out of trouble. They were owed a proper explanation for what kind of leader they'd been saddled with, and how that was going to change. "They need to know."

Ozpin stood up from his seat and made his way around, gesturing for Jaune to rise as well. He scrambled up onto his feet and walked with the man on the way to the elevator. "Be sure to rest tonight," he suggested to the boy. "You're in for a long journey now."

The elevator doors opened, and Jaune stepped through. Turning back to the Headmaster, Jaune nodded to him. "Thanks for this, Professor," he offered his gratitude. "Thank you for giving me this chance."

Ozpin nodded in return as the elevator doors began to close. "Rejoice, Jaune Arc. Your wish will finally come true."

The doors closed shut, and Jaune found himself slumping against the back wall as his adrenalin began bleeding off. He dragged a gloved hand through his hair, wiping away sweat he hadn't realized was there.

Never in his wildest dreams did he think that Beacon would learn of his deception and not chase him out. _I didn't deserve this,_ he thought morosely. His thoughts whirled as the elevator descended back to the ground level. With a ding, the car opened up, allowing Jaune to leave the CCT. Cool night air struck his face as he exited the tower, chilling the sweat on his skin. With a sigh, he rubbed at his face as he collected his thoughts. "Well… time to get back. Pyrrha's probably worried sick."

As he made his way back to their dorm, just the one thought lingered in the back of his mind.

 _Why are they going so far to help someone like me?_

* * *

Glynda was the first to speak up after Jaune's departure.

"You're not going to tell him the truth?" she asked as the three teachers moved around to take seats before the Headmaster's desk.

Ozpin shook his head as he returned to his chair. "The time isn't right yet," he said. "In light of the new information he's given us, it would be too much pressure on him."

A boy whose Aura couldn't be unlocked by others. A boy whose Aura manifested when put in danger for the first time. The pieces were starting to fall into place. "For now, the truth we've told him will suffice. We are in need of more huntsmen, and we can't afford to turn away those who show promise."

Port nodded, rubbing at his voluminous mustache with a finger. "Too true," he spoke, uncharacteristically somber. "It's been eighteen years since the grand hunt, hasn't it?"

"Correct," Oobleck replied, his disappointment apparent. "We lost too many good people then. Too many lives traded to stem back that flood of Grimm."

"But if my theory is correct, then the losses have not been in vain," Ozpin told them. He leaned back in his seat as he picked up his mug. "We've gained an amazing opportunity. We must make sure it doesn't end up squandered. Let's go over what we know about Jaune Arc. We need to prepare him for the truth."

* * *

"Pyrrha, you're gonna walk a hole in the floor like that," Nora spoke up from where she was nestled on her bed, book in hand.

Pyrrha glanced up at the fellow redhead before realizing her actions, and her blush went down to her neck. "I'm sorry," she muttered, moving back over to her bed and planting herself down. Once settled, she began to fidget, clasping her hands together and twiddling her thumbs between them.

She hated feeling like this. The lack of control over certain things in her life, and the uncertainty that came with it. She hated being stuck here, waiting on and praying for a good outcome on a situation she hadn't the faintest idea was about.

Unnoticed by her, Nora took one look at Pyrrha, then over to Ren sitting on the edge of her bed. With a glare, she nudged her best friend with her foot, and nodded her head at Pyrrha in irritation when he glared back in return.

Ren sighed and put away his own book. "Look, Pyrrha, if you like, I—"

He cut off as the latch of the door unfastened. Everyone looked up as it opened, admitting a haggard-looking Jaune Arc to the room.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha bounded to her feet. "What happened, are you okay? Why did the Headmaster want to see you?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm okay, Pyr," Jaune said sheepishly, taken aback by her concern. He stepped past Pyrrha and sat down on the bed. "It's… kind of a long story."

"Did you get in trouble?" Nora asked, setting her book aside to sit on her knees.

"Uh… yeah. No. It's…" Jaune cut off with a sigh. He wiped sweat off his brow and clasped his gloved hands together, staring at the floor. Pyrrha put a hand on her partner's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Just start from the beginning, Jaune," she said helpfully. He shot her a look of gratitude and nodded.

"Okay, so… I gotta come clean first," he said. "Pyrrha, about what I said earlier… when I said I don't belong in Beacon, it's because I didn't get in here legitimately."

"What?" Pyrrha said, confused. "I don't understand."

"I lied to get into Beacon," he said, looking ashamed. Nora and Ren were staring at him now. "I found some fake transcripts and submitted them to get in."

"W-What?" Pyrrha stuttered, disbelieving.

"That… that's quite the risk you took, Jaune," Ren spoke up, expression serious. "You've had training at very least, don't you?"

The guilty expression on Jaune's face worsened. "No way," he shook his head. "I didn't even have Aura when I came here."

All color fled from Pyrrha's face. Her stomach churned as she sat down on the bed next to Ren, no longer able to stand. _He had no Aura?_ She was aghast. In her mind's eye the events replayed themselves. Sweeping herself up onto the branch, taking a moment's breath to aim before hurling her spear with all her might. If her aimed had been off, had she missed… if her calculation had been even slightly erroneous, then the blood of her partner would've been on her hand. If that had happened purely because of her own selfishness… she could never forgive herself.

She gave a start as Ren clapped a hand on her shoulder. "You okay, Pyr?" Jaune asked, seeing the girl's distressed. She repressed a wince at the concerned look on his face.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine!" she said. She quashed the morbid thoughts down. _It doesn't matter_ , she told herself. _It didn't happen. It's in the past._

"Wait, but, you have Aura now!" Nora spoke up, propping herself up on Ren's shoulders, quick to interrogate. "When'd you get it unlocked? Who unlocked it for you?"

"No one did," Jaune said, letting out a rueful chuckle. "It's a long story."

They listened attentively as Jaune began his tale. Of how he suffered from some unknown condition preventing his Aura from unlocking, ruining his chances to become a huntsman, and how he chose to travel to Beacon to find an answer… and how the age cut-off for enrollment was steadily approaching when he finally gained the opportunity to do so.

 _He gained his Aura just moments before I got there…_

Pyrrha could only thank the gods that he had managed to survive.

"… I've never heard of such a thing, Jaune," Ren said. "That… that sounds like it should be impossible. We've been unlocking Auras since before the first academies were founded."

"Ozpin heard of it," Jaune revealed to him.

"He has?"

"Yeah. He said… he said that there was just one other person who had their Aura unlock on their own, but he didn't give me her name," he elaborated. "He also didn't say how it happened. Just that her circumstances were unique."

"That's kinda creepy," Nora said. "Maybe we should see if we can look her up? Oh, or we can ask the Headmaster!"

"Jaune."

Everyone looked over at Pyrrha as she spoke up, her voice somber. "Jaune, what's going to happen? If… if your transcripts are fake, does that mean they're…?"

Jaune shook his head. "No. They're not throwing me out," her partner confirmed. The champion's eyes widened in surprise at the revelation. "Ozpin told me they were gonna train me personally. He said that they're not in a position to turn away promising recruits."

"That's a huge second chance," Ren followed up.

"Yeah. I just don't know why. Why are they going out of their way for me?" he asked. "I'm not anyone special."

"What? That's not true, Jaune!" Pyrrha cried. "They had to have seen something special in you, right?"

"Yeah, I mean, look at all you did back during Initiation!" Nora exclaimed, fists at chest level as she danced in her seat. "It's even way cooler now, you managed to kill that huge Nevermore with no training!"

"Nora's right, Jaune. If you didn't have the talent for this, you wouldn't have made it as far as you have," Ren agreed, Nora nodding all the while.

"Thanks, guys." Jaune looked embarrassed at the praise.

"Do you know how they're going to train you?" Pyrrha asked. He shook his head.

"No idea. All I know is that I have a week to prepare for it," their leader informed them. "So… I'm gonna need that help you offered, Pyr. I'm gonna need everyone's help."

"Of course, Jaune," Pyrrha said with a smile.

"Yeah, leave it to us!" Nora cheered. "We'll make you ready for their training in no time!"

* * *

"Oh, come on, where is it…"

Blake's hands darted around the disheveled covers of her bed, patting through material in a spastic manner as she tried in vain to find her missing book.

"What are you doing?" she heard Weiss ask behind her. She looked up over her shoulder at the heiress.

"I'm trying to find my book," She told her. Where the heck was it? "Yang, have you seen my book?"

"Your smut? Nah, haven't seen it," her partner said over the sounds coming from her Scroll at the study. The noise of cartoons filled the room.

Blake narrowed her eyes at the blonde's back. "It's not smut!" she said defensively. It was probably the most emotional they'd seen the girl since Initiation. Yang only laughed in return.

"Uh huh, I saw that centerfold in the middle of it," Yang replied cheekily. Blake fumed. "It's totally smut."

"Don't you have an essay to be finishing?" Weiss questioned of Yang, tapping a booted foot on the floor. Yang rolled her eyes as she lifted up a paper from the desk.

"I finished it an hour ago, princess," came the dry reply.

"What? Gimme that," she said, snatching it out of her hands. Blake sighed as Weiss' icy gaze swept across it rapidly as she turned back to look for her book. Did it get knocked under the bed…?

"I'm shocked," the heiress finally said, after Blake's peek under the bed brought her no closer to finding her treasured literature. She held the essay back over to the ever smug-looking brawler. "I figured you the type to slack off."

"Yeah, well, you don't get to go through school with both your uncle and dad as teachers and not turn stuff in on time," she said matter-of-factly.

"Even though Uncle Qrow looks the type to slack off himself!" Ruby quipped as she made her entrance into the dorm, cloak flurrying behind her. "Hey girls!"

"Hey Rubes," Yang said with a wave as she looked up from her cartoons again. "Where've you been? Yelling at the birds again?"

"I was not yelling at that bird!" Ruby denied hotly, giving away exactly what she must've done. The smaller girl quickly gathered up her composure, mimicking one of Weiss' haughty stances. "I was getting my homework done in the library. I just… got distracted by Jaune on the way over."

"Why would you let that oaf distract you?" Weiss asked.

"I just saw him sparring with his team. Looked pretty serious so I stopped watch a little."

"And yell at the birds."

"Yang!" Ruby groaned as her sister laughed.

"Ruby, have you seen my—my book!" Blake exclaimed as she spotted her possession in the younger girl's hand. She snatched a hand out at it instinctively. Ruby danced back on the spot, her face stern.

"This, Blake? It's filth!" she scolded, shaking the book. Blake flinched back, guilty at having been found out by their leader. "Filth!"

"Can I please just have it back?" she asked, holding her hand out. Ruby turned her nose up at her and tucked the offending piece of literature under her arm as she marched over to Weiss.

"Since I know you'll be wanting to look it over," she grinned at her touchy partner as she held out her own assignment, smiling sweetly. Weiss rolled her eyes but said nothing as she accepted the essay to look over. Ruby continued talking, bringing up Dr. Oobleck's latest assignment. "It's so weird what they don't tell you in the news. Why'd the Council allow so many undersea expeditions if they all ended up wiped out?"

"The most reasonable guess would be that there's something underwater that they were after," Blake said as she eyed her stolen book. She sat on her bed with a sulk, knowing there was no way she was outrunning Ruby. "Far as anyone knows, they gave up on it because it was entirely too dangerous and completely impossible."

"Or they found what they were after," Weiss spoke up, eyes still going over Ruby's essay. "Either way, it meant they stopped wasting people's lives. The public just doesn't know because it'd upset them too much."

"And we get to know because we need to be ready," Ruby followed up, and punctuated it with a sigh. "I liked the ocean more when I didn't know it was full of Grimm."

"It's more fun on the beach anyway, sis," Yang said with a laugh. Ruby huffed.

The screen on Yang's Scroll cut off into blackness, taking the exuberant sounds with it. Yang cursed as she turned back to it. Within moments, the view was replaced with that of the local news, with "Breaking News" flashing across the screen.

"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a special report," Lisa Lavender said through the display. "Reports are coming in that there has been an armed robbery in downtown Vale that has turned deadly."

The four girls' conversation came to a halt at the announcement.

"What is believed to have been another Dust robbery has escalated into a shoot-out with the police," Lavender continued as a secondary screen appeared in the corner. "We're receiving reports that there have been fatal casualties already, including the shopkeeper and three officers. Live on the scene is Cyril Ian. Can you tell us anything, Cyril?"

"Dammit, wishing I had a slate Scroll now," Yang muttered as they all crowded around her to watch while Cyril Ian began his report on the incident.

The repeated cracks of gunfire echoed from the screen of the Scroll as the reporter chimed in. "… there've been no details yet on the culprits. Police have cordoned off the entire block, and are suggesting that all civilians avoid the area."

"Is it Torchwick?" Ruby asked with a growl. "I bet it's that creep again."

"Can't be him, it's the middle of the day, Ruby."

Ruby wasn't listening. "Oh, what I wouldn't do to get another shot at that jerk…"

"Ruby," Weiss said sternly, getting their leader to focus again.

"I'm hearing that the suspects could be members of the White Fang," Lavender remarked. Blake felt her blood run cold. "Can you confirm?"

"There's no indication that that's the case," Ian replied. "What we do know is that at least one suspect is a Faunus, and that all of them are definitely armed. Similarly, we don't know if Roman Torchwick is involved in this incident either."

Blake leaned away from the Scroll, grimacing. _It can't be the White Fang. There's no way they'd let something go so off the rails,_ she thought. She eyed the other girls, still watching the news report. _It's too open and risky, people would see, things would go wrong in a heartbeat._

The image of a train cutting through the Forever Fall flashed through her mind, bringing with it memories, sounds of tearing metal and scents of acrid smoke. The cold disregard in Adam's voice when she reminded him of the passengers aboard.

Her denial felt hollow in her own heart. Blake clenched her hand in frustration.

Then her eyes glanced up at the book held slack in her team leader's grip. Sneakily her hand reached out, pausing momentarily just inches away from it. Then it sprang forward and yanked it out of Ruby's hand.

"Hey!" she shouted, whirling about. "Blake! I was reading that!"

Yang twisted in her seat to glare at both dark-haired girls. "Oh, I better not have heard that. Why is my little sister reading your smut?" she demanded.

"I'm not letting her, she took it from me!"

The squabbling dissolved into chaos, the news report fading from their memory.


	6. Strength Yet Untapped

**Well, that last promise of mine backfired spectacularly. All sorts of things came down on me. Y'all heard of the Carr Fire, right? That rolled through my region. And my computer breaking didn't help matters much. Nor did surgery. But here's to a new year, so let's start it off with a new chapter.**

* * *

 _Beta: Myareska and Cat  
_

 _"Wow, way to hate on the best character."_

 _"Skittering onto hgvfffffffffffffffffffffffffffis"_

* * *

RWBY  
Pawn of Fate

CHAPTER SIX:  
Strength Yet Untapped

Miló's bronze blade cleaved down at his head. Metal screeched when Jaune's shield rose up to meet it, deflecting it aside. Crocea Mors stabbed out once, twice, skimming across Akoúo's gleaming surface. Jaune swung at Pyrrha's hip, blade flashing upward in a gleaming arc. Her lithe form vaulted over the strike gracefully. Her foot darted out to kick Jaune's shield. She ducked beneath the next attack, and her blade rang against his Aura. Jaune staggered back from the blow and leapt away from the follow-up.

Back and forth Jaune and Pyrrha moved across the arena, blades clashing. Ren watched attentively as Pyrrha rapidly gained the upper hand, knowing the end was coming. Nora bounced in her seat as said end came, five rapid blows against Jaune's shield and armor as his Aura dropped into the red.

"It's over," Ren called out as he glanced at the Scroll monitoring his teammates. Jaune collapsed onto one knee with a groan, propping himself up with his sword. Pyrrha stood at ease, stowing away her weaponry on her back before holding a hand out to her partner. He took it gratefully, letting her haul him up to his feet as Nora bounded over to them with a water bottle clutched in hand.

"Your form is much better," Pyrrha praised, smiling as Nora handed it over to their leader. "There's a lot less wasted movement in it now."

"Yeah?" He took the proffered bottle from the second redhead and drank deeply before swallowing. "Do you think I'm ready for later today?"

"Yes, I think you'll do fine, Jaune," she told him.

"There's always room for improvement, but that's what your new training's for, right?" Ren said. He tossed his leader a towel, who snatched it out of the air.

"Right, let's just hope it's not some elaborate punishment," Jaune said as he wiped sweat from his brow.

"I daresay we've moved beyond that stage, Mr. Arc," came the voice of Dr. Oobleck from behind the lot of them. Nora started at the man's arrival.

"Professor Oobleck, sir!" she yelped as she spun about.

He crossed the distance in a blink of an eye, causing her to stumble as he halted in front of her, leaning down to look her right in the eyes. " _Doctor_ Oobleck, young lady," he chastised. "I didn't earn this PhD for fun, after all!"

"Well that's boring," Nora shot back, quickly recovering. "Why do something if you can't have fun with it too?"

"Because oftentimes there are things that must be done, no matter how boring they may seem, Ms. Valkyrie," Oobleck informed, straightening up. The teacher bolted over to Jaune. "I see you're taking this seriously, Mr. Arc, excellent, excellent!"

"Yeah! Yeah, like I said, I don't wanna mess this up," Jaune said. "Did you need something, Doctor?"

"Straight to the point. Very well. I'm here to inform of you of how your new training will play out, Mr. Arc," he explained. Jaune swallowed and stood up a little straighter, his nervousness apparent. Pyrrha came up along Ren's unoccupied side, and for the briefest of moments the Mistralian boy could see the nervousness on her face. The next instant, she had schooled her features.

"For the time being your classes will continue without much change, and I must insist you pay the utmost attention to them," Oobleck started, gesturing with his thermos as he spoke in his distinctive rapid way. "You're here to become a huntsman and we expect you to learn what you need for the job. Learning how to track and slay the creatures of Grimm, understanding the intricacies of Dust, becoming aware of the very depth of Remnant's history, all of these will be vital to you in the coming years."

"R-Right, no more slacking off," Jaune said. Oobleck nodded with a pleased smile. "What else?"

"Once your classes come to an end, your specialized training will begin. Glynda and I will be handling this personally." Ren didn't fail to notice how their leader paled at the mention of the Headmistress personally training him, and neither did the professor. "Glynda will be responsible for teaching you how to fight. I must warn you, you will not be in for an easy time of things. She will not be holding back."

Jaune swallowed. "Okay. What about you?"

"It falls on me to correct your education. There is much that you haven't learned due to your lack of attendance at a combat school. Tactics and strategies are only a fraction of the invaluable lessons you will need to learn," he said. He took a sip from his thermos before gesturing with it once more. "You will alternate between our classes every day of the school week for the foreseeable future."

"That's doable," Jaune started. Ren could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

"However, Mr. Arc, on the weekends you will be attending classes with both of us! To get you up to speed there's not a moment we can waste. You will spend the mornings with Glynda in combat, and the afternoon you'll attend further lessons with me."

"Wait, won't he need a break?" Pyrrha butted in, concerned for her partner's wellbeing. "He'll burn out quickly like that!"

"Not to worry, Ms. Nikos, we've taken that under consideration," Oobleck stated, raising a hand to ward her off before turning back to Jaune. "Your evenings during the weekend will be your rest periods. I recommend you spend them doing light training exercises with your team, or simply to reflect on what you've learned. Use it wisely."

"Yeah," Jaune said with a nod. "Yeah, I will. You can count on me."

"Excellent! Rest assured, Mr. Arc, in due time we will have you up to standard," Oobleck said. "Focus on the task at hand and you'll certainly see improvement. Carry on!"

And on such a note, the man vacated the room in the space of a breath. The four of them stared as he left, unnerved at how the man could appear and disappear in a flash. Pyrrha turned back to Jaune with a smile. "Think you're ready for tonight?"

"I gotta be, don't I? I'm feeling more confident about it now than a week ago, at least."

"That's good to hear. Then—"

Pyrrha cut off as Nora grabbed Jaune by the arm, dragging him despite his yelp back to the ring. "We'll get some last-minute preparations in then, 'cause now it's my turn!" she said happily, Magnhild unfolding in her hand.

"Wait, Nora, hold on—"

Jaune's pleas were ignored as she let go of him and skipped across to the other side of the arena, spinning about on one foot to take hold of her weapon in both hands. A deceptively bright smile spread across her face. "Ready or not, Jaune, here I come!"

She came charging across the arena. Ren cringed as a paling Jaune raised his shield to meet the hammer crashing down on him.

* * *

The crash hadn't been louder than any other accident one might hear at a warehouse, but when it was caused by terrorists involved in a clandestine operation and the containers in question were filled with all kinds of illegally-acquired Dust, it may have well been deafening.

Plastic cases popped off their tops as the hinges broke on impact, ejecting vials and shells of stolen Dust to roll on the floor. The air shimmered with minute particles of Dust, a lingering danger from the incompetence Roman was seeing before him. Just as well he hadn't lit up a cigar yet. A vial of Dust came rolling his way as the White Fang operatives attempted to gather up the contraband, he stopped its journey by catching it under foot. The thief's eyes trailed across its path up to the assorted criminals in the warehouse.

"This is why I hate working with animals," he growled. Behind him, Neo poked her head out, her mouth clamped around the spoonful of ice cream she was carrying with her. Melodic Cudgel swung up to point at the Faunus. "Get some windows open and get all of this loose Dust out of here before you idiots blow us all to hell!" he commanded. "And don't you drop any more of this! I'm not stealing the entire kingdom's supply just so a bunch of circus animals can spill it all over the floor!"

Gods, he'd take Junior's incompetent thugs over this lot. The White Fang grunts scrambled to clean up and salvage what they could; none of them wanted the one in charge coming down on their heads for the accident. Grumbling, Roman stalked up the stairs and across the catwalks to the offices he'd commandeered for himself, Neo hot on his tail as she devoured the tub of ice cream she carried with her. He let out a sigh of frustration as he closed the door behind them. Now in the safety of the loft, he pulled out a cigar and lighter.

"I don't know what's going to kill me first," he muttered as he lit it and took a drag. "These animals, or all this Dust."

"Then I suggest you get the White Fang under control," came a dangerously melodic voice from the far-end office as her lithe, familiar form exited from its shadowy confines. "Perhaps then you'll only worry about those cigars you favor ending your life."

Both thieves froze at the unexpected sound of the woman's voice. Roman forced himself to relax upon recognizing her, throwing his arms out wide.

"Well if it isn't my favorite lady!" he exclaimed, voice full of fake cheer.

An empty ice cream carton was chucked at his head, knocking his hat to the floor. He glared over his shoulder at the puny woman, who met his stare with an irritated pout around the spoon in her mouth.

"Roman," Cinder greeted him neutrally as she took a seat atop a desk, crossing one leg over the other as she stared at the criminal.

"You're a lot earlier than I expected!" he continued, eyes darting around the room to the other offices and to the one he called home in this part of the city. "You didn't bring the kids, so this can't be a social call."

"Something came to my attention recently," Cinder explained. "I have some business to attend to in Vale outside of our operation. In the meantime, I thought I'd check in."

The woman turned her gaze out the loft window, watching as the White Fang cleaned up the mess down below. "I'm disappointed, Roman."

"Hey, this is what happens when I ask for professionals and you hand me a petting zoo," Roman sneered.

"Then they should be easily controlled by a man of your caliber," Cinder refuted as she returned her gaze to Roman and Neo. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "Get them in hand. I'd rather not take time out of my new schedule to hunt down a replacement who can."

Roman laughed despite himself. "It'd be a million years before you found someone else as capable as me, in this kingdom or the next," he boasted while reaching down to pick up his hat. "But if you want things to work, I can't be sabotaged by these mangy mutts. Whatever this business of yours is, I suggest you don't use them for that either. Better yet, why don't you let me in on it, so we don't get in each other's way?"

Cinder's response was to sigh. "That should hardly be a concern of yours, Roman," she warned him. "But as it stands, I'm looking for someone."

She lifted a hand, ignited it in flames. Her eyes glowed in its light. "When I find him, I'll deal with him myself."

Roman pitied whoever was Cinder's mark. He couldn't imagine what he did to get on the femme fatale's bad side, and he had a feeling he didn't want to find out. And yet the thief knew he'd be looking into it later. Whatever this other guy did, he needed to at least make sure he or Neo didn't make the same mistake.

Cinder had already demonstrated once how unwise it was to anger her.

"Fine, fine. If I come across him I'll send him your way," he said.

And in the meantime, make sure someone won't be sending himself in the same direction…

* * *

That same night, halfway across the kingdom, Jaune Arc set out alone into Beacon's sparring arena. His armor was strapped on tight, Crocea Mors' blade held firmly in his right hand and its shield mounted on the other, the lad felt as ready as he would ever be for the grueling training regime set for him.

The Deputy Headmistress was already waiting for him. She wore a calm expression, carrying two cloth-wrapped bundles in the crook of her arm. She looked up as he stepped into the arena. "Good evening, Mr. Arc," she greeted. "I trust you're ready for tonight's lesson."

"Yeah, I'm ready," he replied as he rolled his left arm, adjusting the shield on his left hand. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Gods, he hoped he was ready for this.

"So… what're we doing?" he asked. "How do these lessons work?"

"Simple. The two of us are going to battle," Glynda stated.

"Battle?" he repeated dumbly.

Her gaze bored into his own. "We do not have the luxury of building you from the ground up. There's simply no time to put you through a rigorous training regime and steadily cultivate a skill set for you," she explained. She was unwrapping the two bundles in her arms as she spoke. The pale light of the arena glinted off steel. "We have few options left to us. The best of those is that of a trial by fire."

Glynda discarded the cloth and released the weapons within into the air. Twin swords floated to either side of her. Each matched the other in elegant design with their downwards-slanting crossguards and notched blades. One was clad in gold along its hilt, its blade shining silver, while the other was stained in black. Jaune swallowed nervously as they reoriented to point their tips straight at him.

"For this battle, and each one we have going forward, I will not be holding back. With each battle we have, my skill will always be beyond what you're capable of handling," she continued. Jaune tightened his grip on Crocea Mors' components. "You will be forced to adapt if you hope to overcome these trials. Your style, your tactics, your techniques, all of these you'll learn during these battles, and then refine them. Both in the ring, and after they conclude."

"Right," Jaune replied. Without a doubt, he was in over his head. He swallowed again. "This will make me stronger?"

"That is up to you, Mr. Arc. Are you ready?"

Gods, no.

"Yeah. I'm ready," he told her.

His confirmation was followed by a frightened shout as violet bolts of light arced through the air. The dozen blasts rained down around his head. Jaune skittered and backpedaled around the explosions, bringing his shield up awkwardly to defend. He barely saw the glint of metal as a sword cut through the air into it. Sparks flew as its edge scraped against the arched emblem.

Glynda drew her riding crop back, yanking the flung sword back and sending the black sword spinning towards the staggering teen. "Whoa!" Jaune yelped as he ducked under the weapon. As he pushed up, light flashed across his eyes and energy burned across the Aura covering his leg. He hit the ground hard with a cry. Jaune looked up just in time to see more violet energy consume his vision. The blast sent him skittering onto his back, breastplate scraping against tile.

"You said you were ready," Glynda reminded as she lifted her crop into the air. She swiped it back down. The twin swords carved through the air, blades flashing towards the downed boy.

Jaune grunted as his shield bore the brunt of the strikes. The first blow nearly jolted it from his arm. The second sent his arm up high, leaving him open for another energy blast. As the projectile darted towards him, his scant training kicked in. The boy threw his weight towards his shield, narrowly avoiding the blast.

He felt his heart pounding in his chest as the adrenaline kicked in. He knew he had to take the fight to her: he couldn't let this be a one-sided slaughter. He'd never get stronger. Jaune heard the whistle of a spinning blade coming from his left. It cut through the air where he once stood. Jaune surged forward at Glynda, shield at the ready. In moments he felt it reverberate from the impacts of dozens of crystals. The violet shards scattered through the air, clattered to the floor, and crunched beneath his feet as he closed the gap.

Crocea Mors slashed out once, twice, three times at the Deputy Headmistress. A spectral glyph filled the air between them. The sword crashed against it, shuddering in Jaune's hand. It pulsed with light. The boy's instincts screamed at him to move, to fling himself to safety, and he did just that. His armor screeched against the floor as the glyph exploded through where he had stood. He pushed his face up from the floor, letting out a gasp as black steel bolted down towards his face. More crystal crunched beneath his armor as he rolled away from the strike. He pushed off the ground, swinging his shield up to his face. Just in time. The gold-hilted blade slashed across its surface.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Jaune demanded.

The scattered crystals took to the air, sweeping past Jaune as they amassed around the Deputy Headmistress' form, orbiting in a defensive shield.

"You were warned that I won't be holding back," she shot back. She brought her crop up, and the orbiting debris stilled. Jaune felt himself tense. "No more excuses!"

She slashed the crop down. Crystals arced through the air. They crashed against Jaune's shield as they battered away at him. The mecha-shifted slab of metal shuddered beneath the blows. When Glynda's energy blast exploded against it, Jaune was thrown off his feet with a scream.

The battle raged on. She was relentless. Every strike of his was met by one of her blades, followed up by Dust magic that seared the air and left streaks in his vision. The arena rang with the sound of explosions and clashing steel. It was all he could do to keep up as she whittled away at his Aura reserves. How was anyone supposed to fight against this overwhelming power? What could he possibly do to fight back, let alone prevail?

The ground detonated at his feet. Jaune stumbled, ears ringing in his head as he tried to keep his footing. Glynda gestured after him, her telekinetic blades flashing out at his opening. He parried the blows he could. Blocked those he couldn't. In his haste to save himself from her swords, he never saw the fireball Glynda conjured behind him.

It swelled and burst. The roar of fire filled Jaune's ears. Air slammed into his back, and with a cry he slammed into the ground. The shockwave tore Crocea Mors from his hands, sword and shield sent sailing away from him. He looked up in a panic to find where they went, seeing the glint of its steel just before his foe stepped between he and it.

 _Shit!_ He bemoaned in his head. How was he supposed to fight without any weaponry? Glynda swiped her crop again, sending him scrambling to avoid the bolts of light that speared into the ground where he had stood. His shoes slid against the ground, and he fell to one knee, gloved hand slapping down against the scorched tiles.

"What do I do…?" He mumbled as the dread settled upon his heart. "I just… run away…?"

Jaune didn't want to give up. He knew it wasn't an option. He was tired. Tired of being a fool, tired of losing fights. Tired of being weak. No, this was no time to throw in the towel.

He had to get stronger. There was only one way he was going to accomplish that.

Glynda took pause as Jaune brought his gaze back up. His eyes hardened with resolve, fists tightening as Glynda brought her swords around to bear. Her crop came up, twisting around to strike. Jaune lunged forward with a roar.

"Raaaaughh!"

His arms came up, shielding his face as the air lit up from her Dust magic. The wild score of energy blasts seared the air around him, scalding his skin, yet he pushed forward. Glynda's stance dropped low. She swiped with her crop, and Jaune saw the flash of silver as the first sword soared upwards. All it took was a subtle shift like Pyrrha had taught him. The weapon caught him beneath the pauldron, slicing neatly through the straps and throwing the armor plate into the air. The student and teacher's eyes met, mutually surprised.

But she wasn't done yet. Her free hand swung around. The black sword circled around in a flash at his chest. She was certain he'd fly into the blade in a desperate attempt to halt his momentum. Jaune's arms dropped. He watched as it sailed past his vision, sweeping overhead as he threw himself in a slide.

Glynda spun about in surprise as the boy tumbled and twisted about. With a grunt he came to a halt, facing his teacher once more. His left hand snatched up the discarded sword beside him. He lunged once more, ready for Glynda's assault. The black weapon was already flashing around to attack. Crocea Mors came up to meet it in a fluid strike. Steel rang in the arena. Flecks of ebony scattered about as the floating blade cracked from the counterstroke. He paid it no mind as it was launched aside. When she backpedaled, Jaune had his opening. Crocea Mors shot forward triumphantly at Glynda's midriff.

He barely saw the other sword before the flat of its blade crashed against the side of his head.

He let out a cry as the blow sent him hurtling to the side. It cut off as he struck the ground and went rolling, wind knocked out of him. Deliriously he pulled his head up from the floor, just in time to see Glynda swing her weapon downwards. His vision was filled with violet fury.

 _Ah, crap…_

* * *

Jaune came to with a start, breath caught in his throat.

"Ah, you're awake," Glynda said, kneeling beside him.

"Wha—" he shot up. He instantly regretted it as the aches took hold, and he fell back to the floor with a groan. "Ow…"

"Our match has concluded," Glynda said casually. "You lost."

Jaune grimaced at the news. He remembered it now—at least a dozen magic missiles had converged on him while he was down. "That wasn't a match, that was a slaughter," he complained.

"You did better than I expected," Glynda admitted. "But you knew the gap between our skill level would mean the outcome was obvious."

"I thought I had you there for a moment," he said wryly. She shook her head.

"A strike like that might've sufficed for the average Grimm, perhaps, but against more skilled opponents you need to be ready for any kind of counterattack." He sat up as she spoke. He listened attentively. "You did well to recognize the opening you created, and you were quick to capitalize on it. The next step is to remain aware of your surroundings and determine if the risk is worth the reward."

"Right… guess it wasn't worth it that time, huh?"

Glynda shook her head again. "Not with how you lost track of the other sword, no. In a real battle, that could've been another opponent taking advantage of your own opening. Remember that going forward."

"I will," he said. She nodded and stood up, allowing Jaune to push himself up from the floor. His muscles protested the action, and he stifled a groan. "So what now? Another round?"

"Not tonight. You're in no shape to continue," she informed him. "It'll be the same for most of our spars until you're ready for protracted combat."

He wasn't looking forward to more beatdowns like the one he went through. But Jaune made sure not to say it aloud.

"Make sure you service your gear and get it back in working condition. Once you're done there, head back to your dorm, wash up, and take this," she said, holding out a medicine vial full of viscous red liquid. He took it from her hand. "Contemplate on the battle you fought tonight, and make sure you discuss it with Dr. Oobleck tomorrow night. That will be your next step to grow."

"Will he have a recording or something?" he asked. Glynda nodded, pointing off to the side.

"All of these matches will be archived."

"What about my teammates? Can Pyrrha and the others see them?" came Jaune's next question. "Maybe they can help."

"I don't see any issue with it myself. I'll discuss it with Dr. Oobleck."

"Great. Then I'll… ugh. I'll get going then," he said as he made his way over to his discarded weaponry. "Uh… thanks for training, Ms. Goodwitch."

"If you want to thank me, Mr. Arc, do so by advancing your training," She told him. "Make sure you're as capable as you can be. That's all the thanks I need from any of my students."

"Yeah. I'll keep that in mind," Jaune affirmed. It only served to reinforce that there was something they weren't telling him.

"You're dismissed, Mr. Arc. Get some rest."

He nodded and returned Crocea Mors to its standby form, attaching it to his waist. He took his leave. Behind him, Glynda waved her crop through the air, sending the scattered debris back into place for repairs.

* * *

"… okay, then the first step for treating a Dust burn, that'd be in… oh, what textbook again?" Ruby asked, trailing after her partner as she and the rest of Team RWBY departed from the academy library.

Weiss sighed. "You don't need the text for that, it's covered in the pamphlet I gave you at the start of the year," she told her partner. The heiress shot her an unamused stare. "The pamphlet you _still_ haven't read."

"Eh heh heh…"

Weiss sighed. She was trying to be patient, she really was. But the day Ruby read that safety manual, she knew the world would come to an end. "We'll go over it tomorrow during free study, okay?"

"I'm opting out if Ruby blows us up again," Blake chimed in. Ruby groaned.

"I'm not gonna blow us up again!" She exclaimed. No one believed her.

Their trek through Beacon came to a halt as they crossed paths with one Jaune Arc.

"Jaune, hey!" Ruby exclaimed with a smile as she bounded over to him. She came to a halt just as quickly as she saw the state he was in. He was in his combat attire, torn and dirty as it was. The armored was scorched and banged up, a pauldron dangling from severed straps held by his left hand. The scabbard of his sword was blackened with soot.

"Ruby, hey!" He greeted with a wave. As his eyes turned to Weiss, he gave her a cocky smile. "Snow Angel."

Weiss glowered.

Yang, however, let out a low whistle. "Jeez, vomit boy, what happened to you?"

"Me? I'm fine," Jaune refuted through his scuffed armor and matted hair. He leaned against the wall as he crossed his arms over his breastplate. "What, uh, what makes you think I'm not?"

"Because you look like you picked a fight with Team CRDL." Weiss said flatly. She knew the thug hadn't let up on bullying him in the last week.

"CRDL?" Jaune scoffed. "No way, this was all from training!"

Weiss' arched an eyebrow. "Training?" She remarked with no small amount of skepticism.

"That looks more like someone beat you half to death than training," Blake followed up. Ruby's gaze was full of concern. Jaune shook his head.

"Seriously, it was just training!" he assured them. He gave Weiss what he clearly thought was a winning smile. "I'm training to be a better huntsman. Before you know it, I'll throw down with the best of you."

"That'll be the day," Weiss shot back dryly. It did nothing to curb his irritating smile as he pushed up off the wall he leaned upon.

"C'mon, we could even train together, right?" Jaune suggested as he came over. Weiss grimaced as the scent of his exertions reached them—whatever he'd been doing, he'd certainly been active about it. "You'll see just how far I'll go with my training."

Weiss turned her gaze from Jaune's back to her partner's, and Ruby looked back with a quizzical expression. Weiss sighed and turned back to her would-be suitor's. "It's not my call," she said flatly. "Ruby's calling the shots, not me. I'm just here to make sure she's the best leader there is."

Jaune stared for a moment, surprised, before smiling after a sigh. "Yeah, you're right," he admitted. "But hey, the offer's open anytime, girls. Snow Angel."

He offered a salute of a wave and made his way past them. "Hey, our dorms are the other way!" Ruby called out to him.

"Yeah, but I gotta fix this first," he called back, lifting the broken pauldron in his hand. "Good night, girls!"

Weiss watched him depart, then turned back with a huff of annoyance. Yang slipped an arm around her shoulder just then, making the pale girl jump. "What was that earlier?" she asked, a smarmy grin on her face. "Were you two having a moment?"

"No," Weiss replied tersely.

Blake piped up. "It looked like you were having a moment."

"No one was having a moment!"

The bickering and snickering continued through the rest of their trek to their dorm room. The four girls entered and shut out the rest of the school from their minds as they talked and joked and undressed while they unwound for the night. After the tribulations of the day, the SDC heiress was eager slip into her inviting bed. As she bade her teammates a good night, the girl's mind turned toward the blond-haired boy.

An average-looking, unassuming boy who saved her life during Initiation and acted far too familiar with her ever since that stressful morning. A boy who flirted with her whenever he had a chance to, trying to ingratiate himself on her like all the others. He didn't know who Pyrrha Nikos was? Who she herself was? It was preposterous. Jaune Arc was just like all the rest, someone looking to improve his own prestige by associating with hers. He had to.

That wasn't what she wanted.

With a huff, she turned over on the mattress and closed her eyes, forcing the thoughts from her head as she willed herself to sleep. It wasn't long before it lulled her to it. As her mind dozed and drifted, her familiar voice whispered in her mind.

 _Then what is it that you do want, Weiss?_

* * *

 **What, you didn't think she was important because of silly shipping, did you?**


	7. Lessons From Those Lost

**This chapter... did not want to be written. I had to redo it several times over the course of its life, hence the unreasonably long delay. I apologize to those of you who have to re-read the story, but I hope this chapter meets your expectations, and that I have far less trouble with the next one.**

* * *

 _Beta: Myareska_

 _"This has been something in the back of my mind forever, but it's something that constantly comes back to haunt me."  
_

* * *

RWBY

Pawn of Fate

CHAPTER SEVEN:

Lessons From Those Lost

For all its current designation as a school for huntsmen and huntresses in training, Beacon Academy was nothing short of a citadel. Created prior to the Great War, the facility had served as half of an early warning system for the rest of the kingdom, the lighthouse that formed its Cross Continental Transmit tower alighting to warn the city it overlooked of the incoming enemy. Constructed atop the cliffs surrounding the upper inlet, guarding the western approach of the kingdom of Vale, there was no way that a hostile could approach Beacon from within the kingdom that didn't give away their intentions. On the borders of the school grounds, Beacon would see any other enemy approach through the Emerald Forest. Though it lacked walls, it never lacked for guardians.

Cinder Fall understood that any attempt to breach its defenses would come from subterfuge. The strongest enemies could only be destroyed from within.

The first step, luckily, was already accomplished. Her identity as a student at Haven Academy was secure, and she'd be able to infiltrate Beacon through the coming Vytal Festival. But the new orders she'd been given had complicated the plan. Now she sat here in the dark, face illuminated by the screen of her computer as she poured over the names of registered students in Beacon. The information her matriarch had given her was enough to cut down on the useless information the hacked records had provided. She didn't need to be concerned about any of the higher years. Her target was male and was a new student. It wasn't long before she came across the most likely candidate.

"Jaune Arc," she murmured into an empty hotel room. An unassuming face went with his unremarkable name. "Age seventeen, born in… that's curious. Redacted?"

She scrolled through the file and found all the information redacted. "Now, why would a new student have all of his information hidden?"

It was more than enough to convince her that Jaune Arc was the target. An agent of Ozpin's, like Qrow Branwen? Was he another layer of protection assigned to the Maiden? If so, it as good as sealed her suspicions that the girl had been sequestered away within the school grounds. It looked like he'd also been paired with the esteemed gladiator Pyrrha Nikos… Cinder grimaced. She knew that when the cards were down, she would be able to defeat the celebrity fighter in open combat thanks to the nature of her stolen powers.

But she had no choice but to acknowledge that the girl was a skilled opponent in her own right, now paired with an unknown that had Salem concerned. She'd need to take care in eliminating them.

Of greater importance to her was the Maiden. How would the assassination of Jaune Arc affect her plans? She couldn't afford to leave the mission incomplete. But a death at Beacon would put Ozpin on high alert. She'll have to scope out the area early. Luckily, the Vytal Festival was approaching, and students would be arriving from all over the world early.

The problem was the team.

Emerald and Mercury had their set identities from Haven Academy already in place, waiting on standby for her summoning. The fourth, however, she intended to be that mysterious scamp trailing on Roman's coattails. With her abilities, she could easily fill in for any student. But now, little Neopolitan was someone to regard with suspicion. Her loyalty was to Roman.

" _Fine, fine. If I come across him, I'll send him your way."_

A helpful notion that Cinder neither asked nor wanted of him. Roman had his assigned tasks in controlling the White Fang funneling into Vale and bringing her as much Dust as they could possibly steal. She did not want him poking around her own missions, and he as good as told her that he'd be investigating whatever it was she was after. He wasn't as cowed as he had led her to believe when she first recruited the scoundrel.

And any efforts he made would be through the hand of his diminutive enforcer.

Cinder shut down the terminal and rose to her feet as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of her room. No, Roman Torchwick was slowly becoming untrustworthy, but his skillset was still needed for her plan. It was time to look elsewhere for manpower, and to ready herself for when his services were no longer required.

She brought her Scroll up to her ear as she made her way out. Perhaps Adam knew someone who could fill in for Neo…

* * *

The remedial lessons with Doctor Oobleck hadn't quite been what Jaune had expected. He thought they'd be more of the same with his evening lessons. Sitting in his classroom with the energetic professor late in the evening, learning the history of Remnant: the various battles of the Great War, important political movements that threatened to upend society's equilibrium, the Grimm surges that always resulted from both.

Rarely did it go like he had initially imagined, back when his training regime had begun.

Whereas Doctor Oobleck was a fast-paced, almost frenzied man in his normal classes, he seemed to relax in the one-to-one teaching setting Jaune experienced with him. He didn't move as much, and when he did, he moved at such a normal speed that it looked surreal to the blond teenager. He at least continued to consume large amount of coffee from his thermos as he taught Jaune various esoteric subjects.

"Now then, Mr. Arc, there is one thing I have been meaning to ask you," he informed him on this latest night.

"What's that?" Jaune asked from the central bench.

"I took the liberty to examine your family's genealogy due to some of the remarks you've made," he started, gesturing with his thermos from where he leaned upon his desk. "And the history of the figures you aspire to. I have to ask: what does it mean to you to be a hero?"

Jaune blinked. He wasn't sure where to begin with such a question. How to answer…?

Oobleck continued, seeing the dilemma on his face. "Well, since you're at a loss, let us start here. What is a hero?"

"A hero… ah… I've always felt that a hero is someone who devotes themselves to the cause of good, someone who does an extraordinary act of courage that could result in having to sacrifice himself. To protect the good of others."

Jaune couldn't gauge the teacher's reaction through the glint on his glasses. Oobleck set his thermos down on one of the few empty spots of his desk, his face carefully neutral. "Very well. How?"

"How?"

"Yes. A sacrifice is never something to take lightly, Mr. Arc," informed the professor. He stood up from the desk, beginning to pace as Jaune watched. "You are correct in that courage can lead down such a path. Devotion inspires bravery, and bravery in turn inspires sacrifice."

"Okay…"

"Sacrifice, however, will only lead to one thing, Mr. Arc, and that is death." Oobleck's words were solemn, without heat. "And I believe our world has seen more than enough death without adding to it needlessly. Remnant is drowning in it."

"What?" Jaune spoke up. "That can't be right, can it? We're… I won't say we're fine, but you make it sound like…"

"That we face a crisis the likes of which the world has never seen?" Oobleck cut him off. His tone gave Jaune pause as the professor continued. "Death has permeated our world for as far as anyone can remember. Our society is shaped by the despair generated by it. The creatures of Grimm zero in on that despair and then commit more, perpetuating the cycle. The deaths of innocents, of our countrymen have spurred us to build walls around us, and to train those of us to deal death out to the Grimm in kind. Huntsmen and huntresses every day dance upon a razor's edge. And they sacrifice themselves for the good of everyone. If not their freedom to enjoy life of a civilian, Mr. Arc, they can sacrifice limb, when not their life. Tell me, Mr. Arc, what do you know of the Great Hunt?"

Jaune started, caught off guard by the question. "The Great Hunt?" He knew of this event, at least. His father had discussed it with the family before. "About eighteen years ago there was a surge of Grimm, right?"

"Yes. A surge the likes the world had never seen before! We huntsmen and huntresses had seen their population soar. We had known it was coming," Oobleck's voice had grown regretful. "And we were still unprepared for when it came."

"Dad said it had something to do with the full moon," Jaune said, causing Oobleck to nod, familiar with the detail. "Nearly all of the hunters in the world took part."

"Quite. Eighteen years ago, we fought the largest war since the Great War. It was a war that we won. Many would argue that the cost was too great."

"Why? The kingdoms survived, didn't they?" Jaune asked.

"Yes. Because we sacrificed, Mr. Arc," he impressed upon him. "When the Grimm came to bring about our end, we threw ourselves into the fray, and we sacrificed ourselves, for the sake of those who shouldn't have to."

Jaune leaned back in his seat, listening to Oobleck. As the discussion continued, he could see the trauma he hadn't suspected was there. "The majority of us gave our lives during the Hunt. Now our population is at an all-time low, and we cannot protect our world as well as we could've two decades before."

"If you guys hadn't, we wouldn't be around here to talk about it," Jaune pointed out. Had Oobleck always been such a defeatist? "That's gotta count for something, doesn't it?"

"Of course!" The man was quick to say. "Make no mistake, I understand that it was a sacrifice that we had to make. You are not wrong in thinking that heroes make sacrifices, Mr. Arc. But tell me: What of those sacrificed?"

"What about them?" He didn't understand the question.

"A sacrifice of that caliber leads to death, and those brave men and women that night eighteen years ago have no way of knowing if it meant anything," Oobleck stated. Now Jaune was beginning to understand. "And now that they are gone, they can no longer protect the good of others."

"So… you're saying a hero shouldn't sacrifice themselves," Jaune wondered aloud.

"I'm saying that sacrifice can never be taken lightly. Death is final, Mr. Arc. It can never be taken back, never be undone. It ignores those that are left behind to pick up the pieces and fight off the despair," he said, looking straight at Jaune. "We live in a world where we can ill afford such costly sacrifices."

"Then… then what do you think we should do, Doctor?" the student had to ask.

"We do what we have been doing," Oobleck replied. He picked up his thermos again and gestured with it. "It's not a coincidence that here at Beacon we group you students together into teams."

Jaune blinked. Hadn't it always been like that? He asked as much.

"It wasn't nearly as common back in those days for huntsmen and huntresses to band together. Back then, those of us would walk our own paths, find our own ways, thinking that every step forward was to be unique to the lives we'd led and the choices we'd make," he explained, shaking his head. He took a long quaff from his thermos.

"Aren't they, though?" Jaune pondered. "That's what makes everyone different, right?"

"On the surface it seems that way. But the truth? Each and every one of us is connected. Be it by random luck, be it by the path we've walked," his teacher refuted. He gestured again with the thermos. "We tell ourselves that we're shaped by who we were, who we are, who we claim to be, who we hope to be, but lost as we are in our own lives, we forget this one fact. Do you feel alone, Mr. Arc?"

Jaune shook his head. "No, of course not, it's just you and me in here."

"Precisely! And when you leave here, you still won't be alone," the man grinned. "You'll go back to your partner and your teammates. And tomorrow, you'll learn and train alongside other teammates together. None of you are alone. All our lives will move with other lives, and collide with other lives, for the rest of existence."

"… that's the Academy's answer to the Great Hunt then?" Jaune asked. "The hunters fought alone, and if they hadn't…"

"Then perhaps they wouldn't need to have sacrificed themselves at all," Oobleck continued for him. He was smiling as he witnessed Jaune's growing understanding. "Your path is not your own, Mr. Arc. You share it with others. They share theirs with yours. It is something we've been striving for since the end of the Great War. Here at Beacon, we've put it into practice. Think back to your Initiation. What happened then?"

"Initiation… Professor Ozpin launched us all into the Emerald Forest randomly," Jaune said.

"Was it so random, Mr. Arc?"

 _Wasn't it?_ was the first thing that came to mind. But the talk had made him still as he considered it. Had it been random? He should've been dead—thrown defenselessly into the forest at high speeds, until…

"… no, it wasn't, huh? When I got launched, Pyrrha caught me with her spear."

"Yes! And why did that happen?"

"Because I'd been talking to her and Weiss in the locker rooms," came his admission. "I, uh, tried to talk Weiss into being on a team with me. And I made the same offer to Pyrrha."

"Exactly! There are many things we cannot control. Things we leave to fate to determine. But sometimes our fate is what we make of it beforehand. Had you not enticed Ms. Nikos to your side beforehand, the team you formed would have been very different."

"Yeah," Jaune agreed, a bead of sweat marring his brow. It'd be different because he'd probably be a stain on some rock.

"Such things happen amongst most of our students. Mr. Ren and Ms. Valkyrie are no different from you and Ms. Nikos, having engineered their own partnership ahead of time," Oobleck revealed. Jaune had to laugh; looked like those two hadn't been as subtle as Nora believed. "And It'll be the same with the next batch of initiates. They aren't anymore alone than you are. You understand that now?"

Jaune nodded. "Yeah, I got it, Doctor," he said. "And as their leader I gotta make sure the path we take is the best one for us."

"Indeed!"

The clock upon the wall tolled the end of the hour. Doctor Oobleck gave it a cursory glance. "I think I've kept you long enough, Mr. Arc," he said as he rose from the desk. "I hope you have a better idea of what kind of hero you hope to be."

"Yeah. I think I do," he agreed as he got up from his seat. "See you tomorrow, Doctor."

"Oh, one last thing, Mr. Arc."

Jaune paused. "Yeah?"

"You realize you don't need to bring that with you to each of these lessons of mine, correct?" He remarked, nodding to Crocea Mors strapped on his hip. Jaune sighed.

"Tell that to the Nevermore that put itself through Professor Peach's window yesterday."

Doctor Oobleck only chuckled.

* * *

Jaune groaned in relief as he dropped himself into a bench. His entire body ached from the battle, protesting every moment he made as he unstrapped his armor from his body and set it on the worktable. Taking a brief respite before he put himself through more hell, the boy examined the dents and scratches and burns covering the armor. Next to be placed on the table was Crocea Mors, always the first thing he took care of when he entered the workshop to repair his gear.

That was the nice thing about weapons, Port had said in class. They never betray you. "So make sure to pay them a little respect!" he had exclaimed as they departed class during that first week.

He made sure to follow up on it every night he fought Glynda. He carefully drew his sword from its scabbard and checked its blade for nicks. It'd seen a lot of use tonight. It hadn't helped as much as he'd hoped. He hadn't felt like he'd made any progress as a warrior. What was he doing wrong? Grumbling, he ran a cloth across the silvery surface to wipe away the accumulated dust and debris of battle. Looked like it was going to be a while before he could call it a night…

He didn't hear the door open behind him, but he certainly didn't miss the voice that followed.

"So this is where you've been going after your beatdowns."

Jaune flinched and twisted in his seat, staring at the intruder. The girl appeared as tall as he did, standing confidently in the doorway and looking for all the world like a teenage supermodel. The only thing that gave him warning bells were all the bullets decorating the belts atop her ribbed shirt and black pants. She tipped her sunglasses down her nose to look at him with chocolatey brown eyes.

"Uh, I'm sorry?" Jaune replied. "Beatdowns?"

"Yeah. I caught you these past few nights getting wrecked by the Deputy-Headmistress," she said casually. She adjusted the handbag resting on her hip. "Got me curious why she's beating up a first-year."

Jaune sighed. "She's not beating me up." _She totally was_. "It's training."

The girl scoffed. "Yeah right. Training's way more restrained than that."

"It's a long story," he grimaced.

"I'm all ears," She said as she idled over to the bench, taking a seat. Was he even allowed to discuss it? He put down Crocea Mors as he skimmed over his memory of that meeting with Ozpin and the days that followed, finding he couldn't actually remember anyone saying he should discuss the circumstances only with his team…

"Okay, you're not going to believe me anyway," he decided. He turned to the brunette. "I, uh… I cheated my way into Beacon."

She stared, expression flat and unamused. "Cheated."

"Yeah. I kinda forged my transcripts, and they found out."

"They didn't kick you out?" she asked.

"Uh… they can't, I guess? Forged transcripts or no I still passed Initiation."

"So Goodwitch is punishing you," She said matter-of-factly. "Certainly looks like one."

"No! I'm not being punished," Jaune stressed. "I told you, it's training! They don't have time to teach me normally, so I get the trial by fire."

"Seriously? You broke the rules getting in and they're training you personally?" She sounded skeptical. "Why?"

"I wish I knew, but I can't exactly turn it down, right? I wouldn't have come here if I didn't want to be a huntsman."

"Yeah, guess you got a point there," she said. "What's your name, kid?"

 _Kid?_ She didn't look any older than he was! He drew himself up. "Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."

"They do, huh?" She was smirking as she looked him up and down at the bench. "Might wanna work on the wrapping then. The Pumpkin Pete hoodie doesn't really sell it."

Jaune was left grumbling as she laughed. "Well, I'm Coco Adel," she introduced after her mirth cleared. "Team CFVY."

"Uh, Team JNPR," he exchanged.

"Team leader too, huh? Kinda ironic."

"You're telling me. Make the faker team leader, no pressure," he admitted as he turned back to his blade. He could chat and maintain at the same time. "I keep worrying I'm gonna let the others down with my lack of experience."

"Yeah? Guess you're not getting much experience there with Goodwitch beating you up."

Jaune shook his head, figuring already that Coco wasn't gonna let that impression go. "I think that's more Doctor Oobleck's thing," he said.

"Hmm, maybe talk to Professor Port about it too," Coco suggested. He glanced up from his work incredulously.

"So he can put me to sleep?"

She burst out laughing. "No! Okay yeah, I know how that sounds, but no. You're training with Doctor Oobleck?"

"Yeah, every night I'm not training with Professor Goodwitch."

"Ask him about team-building stuff, he'll tell you the same," She glanced at the expression on his face and sighed. "Alright, if it makes you happy, I'll cut you a deal."

"What deal?" Jaune asked.

"You're a first year, right?" He nodded. "Great. I'm a second year, so I know plenty about leading a team already. You've met Velvet, right?"

"Velvet? Uh… oh, right, the second year in Oobleck's class. What about her?"

"Well she's my teammate. And she's being bullied."

A surge of guilt welled up in him. Cardin's doing, and he'd done nothing to stop it. He would've just been demolished by him in a fight, he knew that, but that didn't excuse his behavior. Coco could see the guilt on his face before continuing to speak.

"So she's being bullied and she won't tell me who's doing it so I can take them apart," she said deceptively lightly. "Some crap about how it wouldn't help anything in the long run, because she's a faunus."

She leaned over, staring hard at him over her sunglasses. "But you know who's doing it, don't you, Jaune." It wasn't a question, and the sweet tone she used hardly matched up with it.

"Yeah," he said. What else could he say?

She leaned back away from him with a satisfied smile. "You tell me who, and I'll see about giving you some tips on how to lead a team."

That's it? She'd help him as long as he ratted out that pain in the ass? He chuckled. "Deal," he said. "Cardin Winchester. Tall guy with slicked back brown hair and a grin like he owns the place?" She was nodding. "He uses plate armor and a big mace. Can't miss him."

"Yeah, I've seen him around. That's the punk who's been messin' with my bunny?"

"Yeah, him and the rest of CRDL," Jaune told her. "I've only seen him pick on her during the first-years' lunch period, but… he messes with me all the time, so it's probably the same with her."

"Yeah," Coco said flatly. "Yeah, I'll be he does."

"You better watch out for his mace if he has that on him," he warned. "He's got a heck of a swing."

Coco only glanced at Jaune before lifting up her handbag. With a shake and a twist of her wrist, the accessory transformed, black leather panels unlatching from one another and golden barrels expanding from within. Within a second, Coco had a menacing gatling gun resting on her lap. Jaune stared.

"I think I'll be okay," she said sweetly.

Jaune wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "Yeah," he said, mouth dry. Were all the Huntresses of Beacon so terrifying? "So, uh, about those tips…?"

"Yeah, don't worry, I didn't forget," Coco said. She looked him over. "Not tonight though, you look beat. I'll check out one of your team exercises and see what you need, alright?"

Jaune nodded. "Sounds good to me."

She returned her weapon to its handbag form and gave Jaune a pat on the shoulder before rising to her feet. "See ya around, Jaune," she bid farewell. She left with a hop in her step, no doubt looking forward to retribution.

Jaune did not pity Cardin at all for what was coming.

* * *

With his repaired armor slung over his shoulder, Jaune trudged along through Beacon and into the building housing his team's dormitory. The weight of the gear was only a minor nuisance now, even with his exhaustion. Two weeks back it would've been nearly unbearable. The training had been paying off in some ways already, yet he couldn't shake the feeling like he was lacking something. He didn't feel any stronger. He didn't feel any closer to the goal.

He glanced down at the Scroll in his other hand, at the contact information saved on it. Maybe Coco's advice will get him through the rut. He just needed something to show him the path forward…

With a sigh he closed the Scroll up and pocketed it. No use worrying about any of that right now. All he cared about was getting back to the dorm and getting a shower before passing out into the sweet oblivion of dreamland, escorted by a goddess with silvery white hair.

He turned the corner and found something far better.

Weiss was leaning against the entrance to her team's dorm, arms crossed beneath her modest bust. She'd let her hair down, falling down the length of her back, and she was clad in a satiny nightgown that left her pale legs bare. Jaune's mouth almost went dry at the sight of her sliding one of those legs up, exposing more creamy flesh as she propped it against the wall. Head hanging low, Weiss' hand reached up to brush a silvery lock up over her. Strands fell across her partially bared shoulder. Jaune's gaze trailed up from that shoulder, up her neck and to faintly moving lips. She was whispering. Her lips pulled back in a frown. Arguing with herself?

He rolled the shoulder his armor was draped over and called out during his approach. "Hey there, Snow Angel." He couldn't help his grin. "Waiting for me to get back?"

The heiress started at his voice, head jolting up to look at him. There was a distance in her eyes, and she blinked as if she were waking from a dream. They quickly focused, transfixing him with an icy stare. "Jaune?"

"The one and only," he replied. She sighed.

"So what're you doing out here?" he continued, not letting himself be put off by her sigh. "It's pretty late out."

"I needed some time to myself," Weiss admitted. "And Yang's still taking forever in the bathroom."

"Ugh. Yeah, I know what that's like. At least it's only Yang hogging the bathroom."

"How could it be any worse than Yang?" Weiss asked.

"I have seven sisters," he explained as he readjusted the kit slung over his shoulder. "Growing up I basically didn't get access to the bathroom."

Weiss grimaced. "I can't imagine," she admitted.

"I don't think you have to," he said, nodding to the door she had been leaning on. She graced him with the ghost of a smile. Encouraged by that small gesture, Jaune continued. "So, uh… I wanted to ask you…"

She tensed, face growing wary for the date request she was expecting.

"How'd you get that scar?"

Weiss blinked, caught completely off guard. "What?"

"Y'know, that scar over your eye? What happened?"

Her hand went up to the scar in question, lightly pressing against the old wound. The wary look in her eyes faded, turning pensive. "This… I got it during a battle before I came to Beacon," she admitted. "It was supposed to be a test."

Jaune noted the trace of bitterness in her voice. "I passed. The scar… that's just the price of gaining some wisdom, that's all."

Jaune hesitated. "Uh… what'd you learn then?"

Her gaze cooled again, making him repress a sigh. "It's not important," Weiss stated. "Just… just SDC business."

"Right… sorry I asked," he apologized awkwardly, scratching his head.

She shook hers in return. "It's fine. Honestly, I was expecting you to ask me something else."

"Like what?"

"A date," she said tersely.

Jaune grinned. "Well that was gonna be my second question."

The heiress' eyes widened. "What?!"

He laughed, holding a hand up to placate her. "Sorry, sorry!" he said, unable to wipe the grin off his face. "Actually, I was wondering what you were talking to yourself about when I got here."

Weiss narrowed her eyes in confusion and suspicion. "What're you talking about?"

"You were talking to yourself when I saw you," Jaune explained. "It, well… you looked like you were arguing with yourself, actually."

Weiss stared at him blankly. "That's absurd. I was doing no such thing," she snapped.

"But… uh, okay then?" Jaune muttered, bewildered. Did he cross a line there?

Weiss sighed and turned to the door. "Look, I gotta chase Yang out of the bathroom," she said as she reached for the door handle. "Good night, Jaune."

"Uh, yeah. Goodnight," Jaune replied before going to his own dorm. As Weiss opened her door and stepped into her room, he looked back over at his crush. "So about that date…"

Weiss glared at him before slamming the door shut. Jaune chuckled before disappearing into his own.


	8. Power Yet Unleashed

**Today is actually the second anniversary of this story. I missed last year's anniversary, and I was actually hoping to get this chapter and the next one out by today, but alas, illness had other plans. Nevertheless I made sure you'd have content for today.**

* * *

 _Beta: Myareska_

 _"Because I could, and his weapon is funny enough."_

* * *

RWBY

Pawn of Fate

CHAPTER EIGHT:

Power Yet Unleashed

Jaune didn't need to see the attack to know he was in trouble again. He felt the heat wash over him as fire blossomed behind him. He threw himself into a roll, letting the following explosion's shockwave fuel his momentum to get him closer to his assailant. Sprinting out of the roll, Jaune brought his shield up and his blade at his side. The hurled halberd smashed hard against the slab of metal. Pushing it aside, Crocea Mors was a silver blur as it arced through the air at Glynda Goodwitch. His charge was surer than before. His attack was more polished than before. He wasted far less movement in his counterattack.

It still wasn't enough.

She moved aside from the swipe easily. Her crop came up and slashed, electric tines trailing in its wake. He had only a moment to widen his eyes before they struck. The bolts danced along his armor, biting away at his Aura levels. He staggered away, barely holding off a follow-up strike from the halberd as it came back around. The weapon spun back, red tassel trailing as Glynda angled its silver blade and spearpoint at him for another assault. She thrust her crop forward. Jaune braced for the halberd's attack. It never came.

The beams of light lanced out in rapid succession. Two slammed against his shield. Jaune threw himself aside as the rest machine-gunned through where he had stood. Crocea Mors slashed downwards, batting the halberd into the floor before it could skewer him. The weapon bounced off of the arena floor, spun about, and caught him behind the knee with its blue haft. With a yelp he dropped to a knee. It left him open. Glynda's next barrage caught him squarely in the chest, and he was sent tumbling back, armor scraping against the floor. "Dammit," he cursed as he shoved himself back to his feet. Staying still after being downed was the quickest way to end their sparring matches.

Sure enough, lightning blasted down where he had been resting. He dashed away from the blast zone, sweat streaming across his brow as the follow-up came. Violet lances of light crashed down along his path. He burst out of the energized smoke in a leap. Touching down, he pivoted and lunged at his opponent. Glynda swung her other weapon—a massive gold-hilted sword—into his path. He smashed both sword and shield against it and both advanced fell into a stalemate.

Another typically fatal mistake in these sparring matches.

He tried to shove the weapon away from him as Glynda leveled her Semblance at him. One swipe of the crop sent him hurtling to the side from the telekinetic blow. He squawked from the first impact with the ground, winded. Jaune staggered to his feet again only for the halberd to strike once more. The spearpoint hit his shield with the force of a bomb. His scream cut off as his back smashed against the wall. The hopeful huntsman collapsed to his knees, panting and drowning in his own sweat. The tip of Crocea Mors struck the floor, his only support. He could tell his Aura reserves, plentiful as they were, were getting low. _Why can't I get any closer?_ He raged in his head. Glynda looked like she hadn't even exerted herself as he struggled futilely.

She oriented the weapons to her side, blades aimed directly at him. Frustrated, he forced himself to his feet and readied his shield again. With a roar, he charged back into the fray.

* * *

Pyrrha's head came up from her homework revisions as the dorm room opened up. Jaune stepped in with a groan, gear slung over his shoulder. "Hey, welcome back," she greeted with a smile. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said. He dumped his armor to the floor in front of his bed with a crash, startling Nora out of her music and book. The two redheads stared as their leader dropped onto the bed. "You okay, Jaune?" Nora repeated Pyrrha's question as she set down her reading material. "You don't look so hot."

"I'm okay, Nora," Jaune said. Pyrrha saw his smile and didn't buy it for a minute. "Just… I just got my butt kicked again in training."

"Well, I'm sure you underwent some improvement," Pyrrha reassured him as she got up and took a seat beside him. He shook his head in response.

"Doesn't feel like it," he rebuffed. Just as he had the last few times he'd returned from his combat training with the Deputy-Headmistress. He'd come back each time with the same look of frustration that he smoothed over with his surprisingly good poker face. None of them bought it though. Jaune's pain was as clear as day to Pyrrha.

"Here."

Jaune looked up at Ren, who was holding the medicine vial out to him. He took it gratefully. "Thanks," he said before downing the viscous red fluid. "Ugh."

"That can't be any worse than those shakes of Ren's," Nora teased.

"Get your butt kicked hard enough and you can see for yourself," came Jaune's wry reply.

"Nooo thanks. I'll pass, leader." Ren rolled his eyes at Nora's protest.

"Suit yourself," Jaune said. He sighed. "I just… I thought I'd be getting stronger by now. I'm going nowhere instead."

"You can't just give up, Jaune," Pyrrha said, wishing she could do more for him. "Not after you came this far!"

"I know that," was his exasperated reply while he threw up his hands in frustration. "But I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I keep trying and trying, but…"

"You're stressing over it too much, Jaune," Ren told him as he took a seat on his own bed.

Pyrrha nodded in agreement, knowing how true it was when she started learning to fight. "You'll only make more mistakes if you focus on it."

"Believe me, the only thing I focus on is the fight," Jaune groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "She barely ever lets up. I just… ugh."

He rose to his feet. "I'm gonna get my shower," he said as he marched to his drawers, peeling his hoodie off along the way. He disappeared into the bathroom, grumbling all the way. As the door closed, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora all gave each other mirrored looks of concern.

 _What can we do?_ Pyrrha wondered. If there was anything she could do to lift her partner's spirits…

* * *

The streets of Vale were rife with people, noise, and activity. Even the recent string of attacks of petty criminals and Roman Torchwick's frequent robberies did little to slow down the hustle and bustle. Sidewalks were crowded as cars moved to and fro through the streets of the commercial district. A myriad of conversations between workers, businessmen, families and others gave rise to a constant droning as Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora weaved their way down the street, glancing at each store as they passed.

"Man, it's crowded here today," Nora complained as she bumped into yet another worker. She didn't even bother apologizing, the man was already hurrying along, bushy tail waving with each step. "Is it because of the festival?"

"I think so," Pyrrha said, glancing at another sign. _Where was it?_ "Since it's being held in Vale this time, there must be a massive amount of preparation to be done."

"And that means a lot of shopping," Ren noted. "Good for the economy though."

"And bad for travel," Nora grunted as she dodged another pedestrian. "C'mon… this is ridiculous."

"Would you have rather come on the weekend?" Ren asked, looking behind him at his partner. "When there'll be even more people about?"

Nora blanched. Pyrrha smiled at the banter before turning her gaze back to the stores. "Ah, I think it's over there," she said, pointing to a particular sign.

"Great! Let's get away from this sea of people!" Nora cheered. She started pushing her way through the masses, eager to escape into the confines of the store. She slipped through the gap between Pyrrha and Ren and swung open the doorway, skipping in eagerly. Her companions quickly followed suit, sighing in relief as the door closed and cut off the noisy street from their hearing.

"Oh, wow, there's a lot in here, isn't there?" Pyrrha remarked, looking about the store. The walls were littered with various instruments. Dozens of guitars lined the walls. Flutes of all shapes and sizes were stacked in neat rows on various shelves. A large drum set took the center stage against the back wall. To Pyrrha's eye, though untrained as it was to the art of music, they all looked of exceptionally high quality. She wasn't even sure where to begin looking, even as Nora started browsing among the various items. "This is the right place, isn't it?" she asked of Ren.

He nodded. "This is the address Weiss gave us. I doubt we'll find a better shop in the city."

"Let's get to looking then…"

Pyrrha made her way over to the wall, passing by Nora and her examination of a rounded blue flute she didn't recognize. It was the guitars that had the champion's attention. "What kind did you say he had?" she asked uncertainly. These all came in odd shapes of plastic and metal.

"Acoustic!" Nora said, placing the flute down to look over them with her. "So not these ones."

"Over here," Ren called, waving them over. Pyrrha wandered over to him and found herself among a field of wooden instruments. "These are the kind of guitars Jaune was telling me about."

Pyrrha gingerly pulled one from the wall, examining the strings and the wood finish. "These do look nice. I can see why he wouldn't want to bring his from home," she said as she gave the guitar an experimental strum. Jaune had mostly walked from his home to Beacon when he couldn't hitchhike. "Which one of these do you think he'd like?"

Ren shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. I'm no musician."

Pyrrha sighed as she returned the instrument to its rack. "What should we be looking for then…?"

Nora made her way over, looking through them herself. She was humming to herself as her hand trailed across the wooden cases, looking at the designs and finish on each only for a moment before moving on to the next. Pyrrha couldn't tell what her fellow redhead was thinking. Wryly, she suspected no one could. "Got any ideas, Nora?" she asked.

"Kinda? Just lemme look a moment…"

Pyrrha glanced at Ren; he only shrugged. Nora turned and backtracked down the row. She stopped at one and pulled it off the rack, whirling around to present to Pyrrha. "This one!" she recommended cheerfully.

"This one? Why?" Pyrrha asked as she picked it up.

"Because it's expensive," Nora said matter-of-factly. Pyrrha could hear the "Duh?" in the grenadier's voice.

Ren dropped his head onto his palm. "Nora…"

"Well what else are we supposed to do, Ren?" she rebutted. "We don't know guitars but we know if it's expensive it's not a crappy one!"

"I guess that's true," Pyrrha hesitantly conceded. She examined the guitar once more, looking for a price tag. She soon found it, along with a name. She ran her thumb over it. "Taylor…?"

Ren, however, saw the price listed beneath the name and grimaced. "Are you sure you want to pay that kind of price?" he asked. This was expensive.

"Oh, the price is not a problem, really!" Pyrrha was quick to claim. She smiled reassuringly. "The sponsorships and prize money I've earned comes in handy for times like this."

She didn't spend much of it after the expenses of maintaining her gear and resupplying her ammo, after all. When she was outside of combat, Pyrrha Nikos preferred living frugally—she had to deal with the cameras in public a lot less that way.

"If you say this'll do, Nora, I'll take your word for it," she told her teammate. Nora grinned and bounced on her heels twice. "Let's go buy it and get back to Beacon."

Ren grabbed a carrying case for Jaune's gift and they made their way to the register to pay the familiar-looking old man behind the counter. The door opened again as someone with long fins in their hair entered, who held the door open for the trio as they departed. Nora found herself eying the woman for a moment as they filtered back into the crowd, then looking around her surroundings and the people among it with a closer eye. Pyrrha and Ren both quickly noticed her behavior.

"Is something the matter, Nora?" Ren asked.

"… is it just me, or are there a lot of Faunus in the district?" she asked. Almost on cue, a Faunus with long, fluffy ears stepped past them, muttering something on his Scroll. Pyrrha made sure to keep out of the man's way; he certainly looked busy as he muttered about a faltering operation of some sort. Examining her surroundings more carefully, she saw there were plenty more about.

"It's not just you," she agreed. "Maybe it has something to do with the Vytal Festival?"

"Could be. A lot of them could be seasonal workers that immigrated from Menagerie," Ren speculated. "I imagine that's pretty common with the Festival's migration between the kingdoms."

"We should be on our way then," Pyrrha told them, ever mindful of everyone around her. "I'd hate to get in anyone's way."

"Yeah, let's go, let's go!" Nora cheered, grinning as she pushed on ahead through the crowd of Faunus. "I can't wait to see Jaune's reaction to his gift!"

Jaune's partner broke out into a warm smile as she hefted the encased guitar on her shoulder and picked up the pace. "I can't wait either."

* * *

Another night fell upon the campus of Beacon Academy. Most of the students had retreated to the confines of their dorm rooms when the late evening chill had settled down upon the grounds. Pale moonlight from the ruined satellite poured in through the windows of Professor Ozpin's office, warring with the soft illumination that the man had brought with the candles lit on the table set up in the center of the room. The man in question set down a teacup before his Deputy Headmistress.

"Thank you," she murmured, picking up the cup as Ozpin settled down in his own seat. Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck took their own places at the table, with scant few papers scattered across it.

"Well, now that we're all here, let's see where things stand," Ozpin began. "The sooner this training regimen bears fruit, the better. With how things are turning out in Vale, I have no doubt an incident is going to crop up soon."

"Sadly I must agree," Bart said as he rifled through some of the papers, frowning in disappointment at what he read. "More and more robberies are occurring in the city. Tensions are beginning to mount. People are concerned. And Torchwick is still loose."

"And he'll remain loose with that Atlas training of his," Peter grumbled. "Foolish boy. All that talent and he wastes it on petty thievery."

"Torchwick isn't our problem," Glynda reminded them. "Not unless our protégé has a chance encounter with him when he's not ready. Our other students should know to steer clear of him if they encounter him."

The image of a red-cloaked girl with a scythe twice as long as she was tall flashed through Ozpin's mind, leaving fluttering petals in its wake. He noted with a wry grin, hid behind his cup, that the same girl flitted through the teachers' minds as well.

"… most of them, anyway," Glynda conceded. The others nodded as she took a sip from her tea.

"As it stands though, Mr. Arc has been staying on the campus grounds," Bart said. "He's quite serious about his training, and his education is coming along rather splendidly. I've even spotted him asking advice from a second-year student."

Glynda, however, only grimaced as she set down her teacup. "I haven't had as much luck with his physical training," she revealed.

"What seems to be the problem?" Peter asked, arching a bushy eyebrow.

"Jaune Arc's abilities have improved by a considerable margin since he first enrolled. He's still not at a level I'm satisfied with, and from what our last few sessions have been like, it will be a long time before he is. Far too long."

"Curious! Has he reached the limit of his potential?" Bart inquired.

Glynda shook her head. "I don't think he has, and if he's what Ozpin says he is, his potential will outstrip my experience… but he's come across some sort of mental block. I half suspect that's why he's been approaching the older students, to get around it. But it hasn't done him any good."

"Has he been faltering in your battles?" Port asked. "Not giving it his all?"

"No, nothing of the sort. It's clear he's trying his best."

"Trying, huh?" Peter sat back, chair creaking from his weight. His voluminous mustache twitched as he grew lost in thought.

"A lien for your thoughts, Peter?" Ozpin prompted, curious as to where his mind took him.

"Glynda, my dear, when is your next session with the boy?" Port asked.

"The night after tomorrow."

"Perfect. Take the night off."

"Excuse me?"

Peter chuckled. "If he's not improving under tutelage and the solution hasn't come to you, it's time that the boy see things from a different perspective," he explained. "Take the night off. I'll handle his training for the evening! Rest assured, we'll get to the bottom of his predicament in no time."

"Are you certain you can get through to him?" Ozpin asked. There were specific values he hoped to instill in Jaune when he assigned Glynda and Bart to his remedial training. What he would've had the rotund professor teach him normally, the headmaster had thought Jaune already had in abundance.

"Not to worry!" he exclaimed, mustache twitching with a grin. "I know just the thing. Sometimes all it takes is to confront the problem, man to man."

Glynda looked to Ozpin, gaze questioning. Bart's quickly followed, peering over his glasses. Ozpin, however, only shrugged. "Very well," he said. "I'll leave it to you to correct this, Peter."

Like Bart and Glynda, he just hoped Jaune knew what he was going to face…

* * *

"… and that should cover the situation surrounding the tower's construction! Now, as that concludes our time in class today, be sure to read up on tomorrow's subject of the ramifications of its completion!" Oobleck finished, zipping to behind his desk with thermos in hand. "Class dismissed and have a good evening!"

The lecture hall came alive as the students gathered their things and conversed among themselves, forming up their teams when possible as they vacated the room. Jaune sat back in his chair with a grimace while Pyrrha and the others departed without him. On every other night, he'd stay behind to talk with Doctor Oobleck, actions the others assumed was just him taking the class more seriously. Tonight, however…

A hand came to rest on his shoulder. "You okay?"

He looked up, met silver eyes, and forced himself to smile. "Yeah, I'm fine, Ruby. Just a little tired today," he lied.

"Maybe skip out on your late night training then," she suggested. _How did she…? Oh, right. Weiss._

"I'll think about it. Go on, go join your team, Ruby," he said, then grinned. "Say hi to Snow Angel for me."

"Tell her yourself, Vomit Boy," she chuckled. She waved as she left. "See ya, Jaune."

"Later."

Soon he was the only student left as he gathered up his things. Oobleck gave him a sympathetic smile. "Feeling a little under the weather, Mr. Arc?" he asked.

"Nah. Just wondering how badly I'm gonna get my butt kicked tonight," he answered honestly. He finished gathering up his stuff.

"I'd say it's nothing you should worry yourself over! After all, a loss in the arena is only another lesson to learn."

"I've been learning a lot of those lessons lately," Jaune grumbled. "Wish Coco didn't use a minigun, she might actually know something to help me in one-on-one combat."

"I find it hard to believe that Miss Adel had little to enlighten you in that regard."

"She keeps telling me to talk to Professor Port," Jaune lamented. He shrugged. "Like that's any good. I'd just get bored to tears."

Oobleck sighed and sat his thermos down. "Is that how you see it, Mr. Arc?"

"C'mon, Doc, you gotta know what he's like in class," the trainee pleaded. "How is he supposed to help?"

"I understand that his class isn't the most exciting for some reason, Mr. Arc, but Professor Port is one of our most excellent teachers and Huntsmen," Oobleck pointed out. "You would do well to pay attention to his tales in class."

"Seriously?" Jaune was bewildered.

"Indeed! In all of the years I've worked and fought alongside him, I can safely say that Peter neither brags nor exaggerates."

Jaune stared. "He's just telling it like it is?"

"Precisely. He is here, after all, to teach. He can't do that without being truthful in his exploits. You would do well to remember that going forward," the Doctor warned.

"R… Right," Jaune said. He didn't really believe it. The man was shorter than him and weighed more. It had to be exaggeration, right?

"Well, best be off now, Mr. Arc!" Oobleck dismissed him, waving him off with the thermos now back in his hand. "You don't want to be late for your training session."

Jaune took his leave and hurried out of the building, making a beeline right for his rocket locker. Though he had his weapon and armor on him, he still hated fighting in his uniform, and it was a relief when he donned his hoodie and jeans once more, his armor fitting snugly on the worn fabric. Once Crocea Mors was belted onto his hip, he turned to head to the arena.

If only he didn't feel a growing pit in his stomach with each step.

His pace slowed the closer he got to the arena. Each footstep resounded in the hall as his destination came into sight, reducing him to a plodding pace. _It's just training,_ he told himself. _Just like Oobleck said. Just a lesson you need to learn_. The notion didn't make him feel any better. Time wasn't on his side—they said as much when he agreed to this insane regimen. He couldn't afford to attempt catching up to his peers with normal training. Yet when his hand grabbed the handle to the arena, he hesitated. Would tonight be any different? Was his session going to feel as pointless as the last handful?

Jaune sighed. What choice did he have? Ozpin said the option to back out was gone. _One way or another… I have to get over this. I need to try._

He opened up the arena door and froze the moment he stepped past the threshold.

"Jaune, my boy! It's about time! You're running a little late and I was afraid you wouldn't show!"

"Professor Port?"

"The one and only!" he greeted. The portly professor was resting his hand atop the butt of his weapon, in between the axe blades. "Tonight, this old man joins the hunt!"

"What… what are you doing here?" Jaune demanded. "Where's Professor Goodwitch?"

"Ah, she's taking the night off to catch up on other things," Port said dismissively, waving it off with his free hand. "And it's about time you got a change of perspective. We'll have you out of that rut in no time!"

Jaune froze again. "She knew?"

"Of course she did, lad. And now that you're in one, it's my job to pull you out of it. Let's not waste any more time," he said, gesturing Jaune to enter the ring opposite of him. "Now don't think you should go easy on me just because I'm an old man, ha ha!"

He unsteadily made his way onto the battleground. Professor Port was short and jolly, a complete braggart with a gun that looked like he'd cut himself every time he fired it. And yet Jaune's instincts told him loud and clear: he was in trouble. Oobleck's words echoed in his head again.

 _Peter neither brags nor exaggerates._

Doctor Oobleck had known it wasn't the Deputy Headmistress that he'd be facing tonight. He had known Port had stepped in and tried to warn him. He had to take this seriously, or there was no hope of ever improving, was there? He had to try his hardest to win.

He placed Crocea Mors on his hand and pulled the blade free, snapped the shield open with a flick of his wrist. Falling into his combat stance, he watched as Professor Port hefted the Blowhard up into a firing position. Port smirked. "Let the game begin!"

Jaune had only a moment to defend himself. The opening shot crashed against his shield, sending him sliding back on his feet. A second and third shot splashed across the metal before he threw himself aside. A fourth shot torched through where he'd been standing. _He's a crack shot with that thing!_

He couldn't let him keep firing. Jaune charged shield first. Port guffawed as he flipped his weapon around. The axe blades rent a metallic shriek against the shield. _Strong!_ Jaune marveled. His sword flashed out at the man's side. It never hit.

 _He dodged it?!_ Jaune panicked. How? The axe struck again. The boy parried it aside, slashing again. Port side-stepped the attack. Crocea Mors struck back down and was deflected. Again and again, Jaune pressed his attack. Port deftly struck each slice aside, twisting and spinning Blowhard expertly. "Is that all you've got?" he taunted.

"Not yet!" Jaune cried. He struck shield first, swinging for the shorter man's head. Port ducked beneath it. He slashed with it again, aiming for his sizeable gut. Port danced away from it. Jaune lunged, only for Port to pivot around him with mobility the boy couldn't fathom existed. He spun about desperately to face him, bringing his shield up to defend. Port cocked his weapon with one hand. The fireball splashed against his defenses, scorching the white metal. Jaune fell back as the plate was torn free from his hand by the blast.

"Thought so." Port was disappointed. "That's all you had."

Jaune snarled in frustration. Gripping his sword in both hands, he threw himself at his opponent. Port met his charge with a laugh, crashing his axe against it. Around and around they danced in battle. Blades shuddered against each other's counterblows. "You're a fine warrior!" Port declared, anger in his voice. "So why!?"

Jaune slashed over and over. Port snaked around each attack, a red and silver blur. One strike of Crocea Mors went wide. Jaune felt a jolt as an attack glanced off his hip. He stumbled, regained his footing, and pivoted. The professor was nowhere to be seen. "What? Where'd he…!?"

He twisted, and Port was right in his face. Their weapons flashed out. Each man caught the attack by each other's wrist. Jaune found his arm quaking in the teacher's hardy grip.

"Like I thought, you're a sensible one," Port said as they struggled. "You know your weapon, you figure out an enemy's strength with a glance, and go for the right tactic when the situation calls for it. And yet you only fight not to lose!?"

Jaune gasped. Port's foot smashed into his gut. The boy was hurled back onto his rear, his grip on Port's wrist easily torn away by the kick. "It's such a waste!" Port growled.

"That's not true!" Jaune shouted as he rolled back up onto his feet. Port fired Blowhard again. Jaune ducked away from the fireballs, bringing up his sword to counter. "I'm doing my best here!"

Port scoffed as he charged in. "That's the limit you've placed on yourself!? Your so-called best!?"

"That's not true!" Jaune repeated. Blowhard and Crocea Mors smashed against each other and locked. Sweat was dripping from his brow as Port threw his weight into the clash. "I've tried so hard. I've… I've been trying hard all the damn time!"

"Don't you dare use that phrase to console yourself, boy!" Port snarled back. "Those are for cheering on others!"

Jaune recoiled from the declaration. His grip on Crocea Mors shuddered, sweat weakening his grasp on the hilt as Port continued to rage.

"You say you did your best or you tried hard like it's a talisman!" Port condemned. "You're ruining yourself!"

Blowhard crashed down triumphant. Crocea Mors was torn from Jaune's hand, slammed against the floor.

"Dare I say it?" Port leaped into the air in a grand display of acrobatics. He spun like a top, axe flashing. "We are Huntsmen! _And we have no limits!"_

The axe came crashing down. It was a magnificent blow, cleaving right into his breastplate. White energy blazed bright against the strike. Jaune sailed through the air from the force. His flight halted abruptly as his back smashed against the wall. He collapsed into a slump, unable to comprehend how easily he'd been beaten.

Port once more rested the barrel of his gun against the floor, hand atop its stock. Even with his Aura reserves barely scratched, Jaune knew the battle was over.

His head drooped as tears stung his eyes. He was relatively unharmed, but the professor's words had cut him to the core as cleanly as his axe had his defenses. "It's not my performance… or my talent in fighting…" he admitted, his voice cracking. "The problem's in my heart, isn't it? Because my heart's weak… I let myself turn out like this. It's all my fault…"

Port frowned in sympathy. "Jaune…"

A tear rolled down the boy's cheek. "This is great…!"

Port paused as Jaune looked up. He was smiling through his tears in epiphany.

"I can still change!" he exclaimed. "I can break the limits I made and change myself! I can become stronger!"

Port smiled. A weight lifted from Jaune's shoulders.

"It's a damn tough road to travel," Port told him. "But if you have the courage to walk it, there's no better path for men like us. It's the only road worth taking."

Jaune pulled himself to his feet, wiping his eyes on his arm. "Professor, one more time! I can still fight!"

The teacher laughed. "My boy, we can fight as long as you can stand!" he exclaimed. Jaune eagerly gathered up his weapons. "Once more, from the bottom of our hearts! Hold nothing back!"

"Right!" Jaune nodded. His readied his sword once again. He felt light. And the arena rang with the sound of battle once again.


End file.
